Report on S.C. roads
Posted 02:54 p.m., May 14, 2008
Today at the South Carolina Statehouse, a group called TRIP (The Road Information Program) is presenting a report on the state of the state’s roads and bridges. According to a press release, "South Carolina faces a shortfall of nearly $22 billion over the next ten years in needed transportation funding to relieve congestion, improve road and bridge conditions and implement needed safety enhancements …"
Now, anyone who drives regularly around here knows that South Carolina’s highways aren’t perfect, and in some cases they’re truly deplorable (Interstate 95 from I-26 to Santee and, even worse, from just north of Florence to Dillon, a 20-mile stretch guaranteed to keep front-end-alignment shops in business). The state Department of Transportation has said it will need about $28 billion through 2016 to fund needed projects. And from an economic development point of view, good roads help draw new businesses and help keep costs lower for existing businesses.
So it’s certainly possible that providing more funds for South Carolina’s highways would be a good thing for all of us.
Still, I’m a bit troubled by one aspect of this report, which is the lack of full disclosure that TRIP provides about itself.
TRIP releases this type of report regularly for U.S. states, and the organization doesn’t seem to be able to find any that don’t have serious deficiencies. Here’s a selection of summaries of recent “research reports” from their Web site (www.tripnet.org):
Jan. 29, 2008: "Recent Colorado transportation improvements, including $1.7 billion t-rex project, have resulted in reduced delays & improved travel options, but state still faces tremendous challenge in funding additional transportation upgrades needed to accommodate future growth"
Jan. 28, 2008: "Connecticut faces $3.1 billion transportation funding shortfall through 2017, preventing state from making many needed road and bridge repairs; nearly half of state's major roads and one-third of bridges are deficient"
Oct. 25, 2007: "Georgia faces $51 billion transportation funding shortfall through 2035 that will lead to worsening congestion and deteriorated highways and bridges if not addressed …"
June 28, 2007: "Missouri makes strides in improving road and bridge conditions, but state faces $18 billion transportation funding shortfall over next 20 years"
June 5, 2007: "Maine faces ten year, $2.2 billion highway funding shortfall. Road and bridge conditions and traffic congestion likely to worsen without increased investment"
Etc. etc. etc. Starting to sound a little repetitious?
So who are these people and why do they have such a low opinion of our highway system? Here’s how they describe themselves on their Web site: "Founded in 1971, TRIP is a nonprofit organization that promotes transportation policies that relieve traffic congestion, improve road and bridge conditions, improve air quality, make highway travel safer and enhance economic productivity."
What’s not included in this self-description, or anywhere else on their Web site that I could find, is the fact that TRIP’s board of directors consists almost entirely of representatives from paving companies, paving equipment makers, paving materials suppliers and paving-related trade associations (the American Concrete Pavement Association, for example, and the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association).
There’s nothing inherently wrong with an industry setting up a nonprofit research arm that produces reports that might influence lawmakers to adopt policies that would benefit their industry, and TRIP is far from being the only such organization. Still, it would be sort of helpful if they would all share that information with us up front.
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