Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
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AGGREGATES MANAGER April 2015 3 by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com LAUGH OR CRY? I n March, John Oliver brought a new approach to the age-old debate over infrastructure spending — humor. In a 21-minute "Infrastructure" segment of his HBO show Last Week Tonight, Oliver had a unique, but accurate, perspective on why it's so difficult to make progress on infrastructure investment. "Infrastructure isn't sexy," he declared. "If an alien culture judged humanity by our most popular movies, they'd think we were furious with asphalt all the time," Oliver joked, noting that infrastructure was "basically anything that could be destroyed in an action movie." While his approach was amusing, he shared some important points with his audience. - America's dams are an average of 52 years old and many have problems that stem from their original construction. In 2007, Texas had seven inspectors responsible for inspecting 7,400 dams and had only inspected 239 of them that year. Alabama had no inspectors. - The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation's infrastructure a grade of D+, while the World Economic Forum ranks the United States as 16th in the world. Oliver highlighted a recent segment of 60 Minutes, "Falling Apart: America's Neglected Infrastructure." It showed the Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh, which has a structure built beneath it to prevent falling concrete from hitting motorists. It is one of 15 structurally deficient bridges along a 22-mile stretch of I-95. "They built a bridge under the bridge. That's a college sophomore's approach to structural engineering," he said. "We only seem to talk about infrastructure when something tragic happens," Oliver added, "and the scope of this problem is scary." While both sides of the aisle agree on the need to invest, Oliver hypothesized the reason why politicians haven't taken action is because maintenance isn't as exciting as building something new. They like to bring out the big scissors for ribbon cutting ceremonies, but filling potholes and expanding lane miles don't garner photo ops. Oliver drew attention to the problem. Now, let's continue the push. The public needs to understand that infrastructure may not be sexy, but safe travel merits their support. Current statistics show that one-third of highway fatalities are due to unsafe road and bridge conditions. It's not acceptable. Politicians need to be reminded that it's not all about the big scissors and photo ops; it's about investing in the nation's future. We need the kind of political leadership that built the National Highway System, not one that relies on short-term extensions and lacks the political will to develop dependable funding. As MAP-21 expires (again) this spring, we need a six-year bill. And, if Oliver's segment sparks action on infrastructure investment, it will go to show that laughter is, indeed, the best medicine. April 2015 Vol. 20, No. 4 aggman.com /AggregatesManager @AggMan_editor Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Therese Dunphy Editorial Director: Marcia Gruver Doyle Online Editor: Wayne Grayson editorial@aggman.com Design & Production Art Director: Sandy Turner, Jr. Production Designer: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Linda Hapner production@aggman.com Construction Media VP of Sales, Construction Media: Joe Donald sales@randallreillyconstruction.com 3200 Rice Mine Rd NE Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 randallreilly.com Corporate Chairman/CEO: Mike Reilly President: Brent Reilly Chief Process Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Administration Officer: David Wright Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Editorial and Research: Linda Longton Vice President of Events: Stacy McCants Vice President, Audience Development: Prescott Shibles Vice President, Digital Services: Nick Reid Vice President, Marketing: Julie Arsenault For change of address and other subscription inquiries, please contact: aggregatesmanager@halldata.com. 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