America’s Highways are Crumbling. Is That a Bad Thing?

[Metro Jacksonville]

America’s Highways are Crumbling. Is That a Bad Thing?



Our highway infrastructure is falling apart and John Norquist, former mayor of Milwaukee, believes this is a good thing. Ryan Holeywell of the Houston-based Kinder Institute for Urban Research examines Norquist's position.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-sep-americas-highways-are-crumbling-is-that-a-bad-thing

[spuwho]

Because we are obsessed with building net new highways. We don't like having to spend money to fix the old.

Also we have competing lobbies in the highway funding space.

The asphalt lobby vs. the concrete lobby.

Asphalt = cheaper, quicker, but only last 10 years
Concrete = expensive, takes longer, but last 40 years now

Since our politicos are so short sighted, they love asphalt. Fits inside the political cycle, easier to fund inside limited budgets and tax revenues.

Kicks long term replacement bucket into a future political cycle.

I have always been a proponent of a scoring system that ranks needs when developing a highway budget.  Bridge replacements or replacement of busier, older highways get higher scores than building new ones.  If the demand for a new road is warranted, then it will score higher and get funding sooner.

[I-10east]

^^^Thanks for the info (particularly concrete vs asphalt). The "let the highways crumble, it's a good thing" and "take from Mr Milwaukee mayor is just liberal nonsense.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

The concepts make complete sense because I can directly relate it to my own driving habits.

I live between I-10 & Park St. with easy access to both.  When I travel into 5 Points / Brooklyn, the route I take is totally dependent on what time of day it is.  I think if I-10 weren't there, all of those cars would be diverted onto many of the through streets (Beaver, Commonwealth, Park, US17, Edison, etc..) opposed to backing up on the only main artery.

[thelakelander]

^If I-10 were not there, all those empty commercial buildings on Beaver, Edison, Edgewood, McDuff, etc. would probably be full.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

^If I-10 were not there, all those empty commercial buildings on Beaver, Edison, Edgewood, McDuff, etc. would probably be full.

And Paxon, Murray Hill North, Lackawanna, Allendale, etc..  would probably be in much better shape than they are from a residential/community standpoint as well.