. ASCE Report Part - 3 Rail · Class I railroads currently invest about $2 billion annually for improvements above and beyond repair and maintenance. At this level of investment, rail will lose freight market share over the next 20 years, as the industry will not be able to keep up with growing demand. · Shifting all freight currently carried by rail to trucks would cost shippers an additional $69 billion annually. This will result in higher prices for U.S. consumers and increased truck traffic on the nation's highways, requiring an additional $54 billion in highway funds over the next 20 years to maintain the roads. · To maintain current share of freight carried, and accommodate the anticipated increase in total freight carried, railroads would require $175 billion to $195 billion in investments over the next 20 years. · Three railroad bridges used by Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor will be closed within two years if not repaired, shutting down passenger travel on the busy New York to Boston route. For the first time since World War II, limited rail capacity has created significant chokepoints and delays. This problem will increase, as freight rail tonnage is expected to increase at least 50% by 2020. In addition, the use of rail trackage for intercity passenger and commuter rail service is increasingly being recognized as a worthwhile transportation investment. Congestion relief, improved safety, environmental and economic development benefits result from both freight and passenger market shifts to rail creating a rational for public sector investment. The freight railroad industry needs to spend $175-$195 billion over the next 20 years to maintain existing infrastructure and expand for freight growth. Expansion of the railroad network to develop intercity corridor passenger rail service is estimated to cost approximately $60 billion over 20 years. All told, investment needs are $12-13 billion per year. Roads · 34% of America's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. · 36% of America's major urban roads are congested. · Road conditions are a factor in an estimated 30% of traffic fatalities. There were 42,643 traffic fatalities in 2003 in the U.S. · Driving on roads in need of repair costs U.S. motorists $54 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs--$275 per motorist. · Traffic congestion costs American motorists $63.2 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs. · Americans spend 3.5 billion hours a year stuck in traffic. · Motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. citizens $230 billion per year, or $819 for each resident, for medical costs, lost productivity, travel delay, workplace costs, insurance costs and legal costs. · There is a balance of $16 billion in the Highway Trust Fund. These funds are derived solely from user fees. · New Mexico built a new 4-lane highway from Albuquerque to the Colorado state line, but Colorado does not have the money to build the last 14 miles to Durango. · A resident of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, says people drive in the left lane on the highway because the passenger lanes are so deteriorated. Poor road conditions cost U.S. motorists $54 billion per year in repairs and operating costs--$275 per motorist. Americans spend 3.5 billion hours a year stuck in traffic, at a cost of $63.2 billion a year to the economy. Total spending of $59.4 billion annually is well below the $94 billion needed annually to improve transportation infrastructure conditions nationally. While long-term Federal transportation programs remain unauthorized since expiring on Sept. 30, 2003, the nation continues to shortchange funding for needed transportation improvements. Conditions The nation is failing to maintain even the current substandard conditions, a dangerous trend that is affecting highway safety and the health of the economy. While passenger and commercial travel on our highways has increased dramatically in the past 10 years, America has been seriously under-investing in needed road and bridge repairs. Substandard road conditions are dangerous. Outdated and substandard road and bridge design, pavement conditions, and safety features are factors in 30% of all fatal highway accidents, according to FHWA. On average, more than 43,000 fatalities occur on the nation's roadways every year. Motor vehicle crashes cost U.S. citizens $230 billion per year, or $819 for each resident for medical costs; lost productivity; travel delay; and workplace, insurance and legal costs. Schools · There has been no authoritative assessment of the condition of America's school facilities since 1999. · School construction, renovation and maintenance funding totaled $28.6 billion in 2003, up from $24.3 billion in 2002. The Federal government has not assessed the condition of America's schools since 1999, when it estimated that $127 billion was needed to bring facilities to good condition. Other sources have since reported a need as high as $268 billion. Solid Waste · The United States generates approximately 369 million pounds of solid waste annually. Only 26% was recycled in 2002. Two-thirds -- 242 million tons -- were landfilled. · Nationally, the states have an estimated 20 years' disposal capacity remaining, but several states report less than 10 years' capacity at present. The nation's operating municipal landfills are declining in total numbers, but capacity has remained steady due to the construction of numerous regional landfills. In 2002, the United States produced 369 million tons of solid waste of all types. Only about a quarter of that total was recycled or recovered. Transit · An estimated 14 million Americans ride public transportation each weekday, with an additional 25 million using it less frequently, but on a regular basis. · Ridership increased by 21.3% between 1993 and 2002. · There are 614 local public transit operators serving urban areas, 1,215 operators serving rural areas and 3,673 operators providing specialized service. · Public transit systems operate 106,395 vehicles, control 10,572 miles of track and serve 2,825 transit stations. · Total capital spending from all funding sources was $12.3 billion in 2002; the FTA estimates that $20.6 billion is needed annually to improve the nation's transit systems to "good." Transit use increased faster than any other mode of transportation--up 21%--between 1993 and 2002. Federal investment during this period stemmed the decline in the condition of existing transit infrastructure. The reduction in federal investment in real dollars since 2001 threatens this turnaround. In 2002, total capital outlays for transit were $12.3 billion. The Federal Transit Administration estimates $14.8 billion is needed annually to maintain conditions, and $20.6 billion is needed to improve to "good" conditions. Meanwhile, many major transit properties are borrowing funds to maintain operations, even as they are significantly raising fares and cutting back service. Wastewater · The physical condition of many of the nation's 16,000 sewage treatment plants is poor despite a massive federal effort that has seen the investment of more than $72 billion in Clean Water Act funds over the last 33 years. · Combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows release 850 billion of gallons of raw sewage annually into rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated we must spend $390 billion by 2020 to remedy the problem. · A sewer line break in Pima County, Arizona, in 2002 forced the evacuation of 90 families from their homes and closed parts of a busy street for six weeks. · Less than a generation from now, the U.S. could wind up with dirtier water than existed before the Clean Water Act in 1972. Already, only 1% of Delaware's rivers and streams are fully safe for swimming. · Congress must enact legislation establishing a special trust fund with a dedicated source of revenue for sewage plant construction. Aging wastewater management systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated sewage into U.S. surface waters each year. The EPA estimates that the nation must invest $390 billion over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demands. Yet, in 2005, Congress cut funding for wastewater management for the first time in eight years. The Bush administration has proposed a further 33% reduction, to $730 million, for FY06. Conditions The federal government has directly invested more than $72 billion in the construction of publicly owned sewage treatment works (POTWs) and their related facilities since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Nevertheless, the physical condition of many of the nation's 16,000 wastewater treatment systems is poor, due to a lack of investment in plant, equipment and other capital improvements over the years. Many systems have reached the end of their useful design lives. Older systems are plagued by chronic overflows during major rain storms and heavy snowmelt and, intentionally or not, are bringing about the discharge of raw sewage into U.S. surface waters. Source: ASCE â American Society of Civil Engineers .
he should be so lucky..... when you have barney fife..um..i mean Tgregg censoring, uh...i mean moderating these threads i am sure this too will be deleted.
. SouthAmerica: Reply to Libertad I could not answer you directly because your email is blocked. This info is from the cover of my book: Ricardo C. Amaral was born in Brazil. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he received a B.A. degree in Economics and later an MBA degree in Finance. He continued his Academic studies towards a PhD. degree in Economics at Fordham University. Mr. Amaral has an extensive investment and international business background. He is the author of a biography of âJose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva - The Greatest Man in Brazilian History" - published in May 2000. He writes on a regular basis for various newspapers and magazines in the United States, Middle East and Brazil. Mr. Amaral is among a very few remaining living descendants of both José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (The Patriarch of Brazilian Independence), and his brother Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada - the founding fathers of Brazil. In Brazil, Martim Francisco Ribeiro de Andrada was the author of the document "The Declaration of Independence of Brazil" .
Ya gotta have empathy for the Chit Chat Mods, though... down there knee deep and shovelin' poop day after day... I'll bet Econ Mods TGregg and Avalanche have long lost count of the threads they've been forced to dump to keep that forum from becoming the Chit Chat II of fatalistic fanaticism...
It'as a thankless job, but somebody has got to do it...Its really bad though if you have 5k plus posts and contribute...and you don't qualify to be a shit shoveler even...think about that! Thank you sir give me another....thank you sir give me another...
SA is going to get carpal tunnel before I actually read one of his posts.... wait a minute, it's all cut/paste, I loose.. er lose.