CED

August 2014

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Industry Beat August 2014 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 15 Speaking at a press conference organized by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on June 24, AED Chairman Tim Watters said the program's looming collapse threatens 4,000 jobs at construction equipment dealerships around the country directly tied to road and bridge work, not to mention 700,000 jobs in the broader construction industry. "Every morning hundreds of thousands of hard-working men and women in the construction industry get up, go to work and build America's transporta- tion infrastructure. If they didn't do their jobs, this country would come to a grinding halt – we're disappointed Congress hasn't done its job and has brought the federal highway program to the brink of collapse," Watters said. AED's Watters Takes Congress to Task for Neglecting Highways (continued on next page) America's rural heartland is home to nearly 50 million people, and its natural resources provide the energy, food and fiber that support the nation's economy and way of life. But, a new report finds that the nation's rural transportation system, which is critical to the nation's booming agriculture, energy and tourism sectors, is in need of modernization to address deficient roads and bridges, high crash rates and inadequate connec- tivity and capacity. The report, "Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America's Heartland," was released in July by TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research group based in Washington, D.C. It defines Rural America as counties that lack an urban area of at least 50,000 in population or lack a large commuting flow to an urban county. The TRIP report finds that traffic crashes and fatalities on rural roads are disproportionately high, occurring at a rate nearly three times higher than all other roads. In 2012, non-Interstate rural roads had a traffic fatality rate of 2.21 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles of travel, compared to a fatality rate on all other roads of 0.78 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel. Rural traffic fatality rates remain stubbornly high, despite a substantial decrease in the number of overall fatalities. "More than 46 million Americans live in rural and less densely populated areas of the country where their primary mode of transportation is a personal vehicle," stated Kathleen Bower, AAA Vice President, Public Affairs. "Motorists expect and deserve safe, well main- tained roads and bridges no matter if they are traveling on the Interstates or rural roads. Congress must act quickly to provide a sustainable solution for the federal Highway Trust Fund to ensure that states can continue to make necessary infrastructure investments that will benefit all travelers." In addition to disproportionately high traffic fatality rates, the roads and bridges in rural America have significant deficiencies. In 2012, 15 percent of the nation's major rural roads were rated in poor condi- tion and another 40 percent were rated in mediocre or fair condition. In 2013, 12 percent of the nation's rural bridges were rated as structurally deficient and 10 percent were functionally obsolete. "America's rural transportation system is an integral component to the success and quality of life for U.S. farmers and ranchers," said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "Adequate roads and bridges are necessary to deliver our agricultural bounty to markets at home and abroad. As we see additional growth and opportunities in rural America, we must work together to take advantage of those opportunities and to ensure that infrastructure supports and enhances our rural communities." The report also finds that the development of major new oil and gas fields in numerous areas, as well as increased agricultural production, are placing significantly increased traffic loads by large trucks on non-Interstate rural roads, which often have not been constructed to carry such high load volumes. The average travel per-lane mile by large trucks on major, nonarterial rural roads in the U.S. has increased by 16 percent from 2000 to 2012. For more information or to read the report, visit www.tripnet.org. TRIP Report: Rural Roads, Bridges Desperately Need Modernizing Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and AED Chairman Tim Watters (right) at the June 24 press conference.

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