Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/393925
Better Roads October 2014 15 a complaint – will be able to go to court and sue, and they would most likely win," Mooney said. "The agency would be held responsible in the lawsuit." He also said that if FHWA found that an agency was not in compliance, it could withhold funds for unrelated proj- ects until the project in question had been rectified. "If we get wind of it and find there is truth to it, other projects could be affected," Mooney said. "They can withhold funds for Project B until Project A is handled properly." Toward a sensible solution There is no easy way out of the predicament, experts close to the situation say. "California's counties have long been a strong advocate for disabled access and the implementa- tion of the American Disabilities Act," said Scott McGol- pin, director of public works for the county of Santa Bar- bara and president of the County Engineers Association of California, as reported by the California Asphalt Pavement Association, in CalAPA's magazine California Asphalt. "We recognize people with disabilities need and deserve safe access to freely move within their communi- ties," McGolpin said. "Counties have adopted cost-effec- tive strategies to maximize our limited financial resources to preserve all of our transportation infrastructure." The new federal guidance, however, places additional hardships on cities and counties, he said. "Unfortunately, the new ADA Joint Technical Assistance forces local gov- ernments to modify existing infrastructure at significant additional costs, including reconstructing existing ADA accommodations that met previous federal standards. Consequently, it will minimize counties' abilities to pro- vide new access to other areas of the community. "Despite this impractical update," he adds, "coun- ties will strive to reach substantial compliance without any additional resources to meet this unfunded federal mandate. Counties welcome the opportunity to work with federal partners to come up with a sensible solution." PAVE WITH PRIDE The F1000 paver – low deck, full visibility and exceptional accuracy for a high-quality mat worth bragging about. Please contact your local Atlas Copco distributor. www.atlascopco.us 7H[W,1)2WRRUYLVLWZZZEHWWHUURDGVFRPLQIR RoadScience