Moving Ahead “The Reality”
By John Watt Perhaps you have heard about the Hyperloop system that is being developed to move people across the country at an astounding 800 mph. In China, the Maglev train moves people from downtown Shanghai to the airport at an unbelievable 268 mph today. Now that is moving ahead. In the U.S. today, we are not moving quite so fast…yet. In 1903, Henry Ford rolled out his first car that had a top speed of 28 mph and drove on makeshift dirt roads. Since that time, the U.S. has developed over 47,000 miles of interstate highway systems, in addition to state and local highway and road systems. With the government and consumers demanding more clean fuel-efficient vehicles an imbalance is created in highway funding. Today’s more efficient cars and trucks are paying lower fuel taxes while wear and tear on the roads is the same or worse because of more vehicles and drivers. As Jackson and Josephine counties continue to see more people relocating to our beautiful part of the state, more cars and drivers are taking to the roads. Since 1999, we have some 23,000 more drivers on the roads and highways in Jackson and Josephine counties alone. In addition to an increase in auto traffic, we should expect to see a marked increase in the number of trucks hauling freight
to and from our community. All of these things create strain on a system that is critical to you, the reader. Investment in our roads is failing. While the country has relied on dedicated funding through gas taxes and vehicle fees, it can no longer count on a level of funding that will match the need. President Obama has asked to Congress to pass one time funding for infrastructure, which so far has been rejected. Even then, a sustainable funding system must be developed and approved by Congress. Public, private partnerships is another option that could be pursued. This option comes with many challenges but is certainly a worthwhile alternative. Another looming issue that policymakers and planners must consider is the reality of a coming seismic event. Scientists tell us that our region experiences major earthquakes every 300 years or so. That is, apparently at hand. If a major seismic event were to happen today, there is a very real possibility of major bridge collapses over I-5 from Southern California to the Canadian border. We don’t have to travel very far to see the viaduct that spans the city of Medford. Given the age and condition of the viaduct, estimates could see a major failure, if not an outright collapse of the entire structure. The community and ODOT must begin planning now to alleviate potential isolation from the rest of the state when the predicted earthquake occurs. As you can see from the other reports in this issue, good things are being built or upgraded on roads and highways throughout our region. Temporary inconveniences and long waits and backups lead to better and safer ways to move around Jackson and Josephine counties and the rest of the state. A continual reminder is that these projects require years of planning leading to months of construction. All of this takes investments on the
odotmovingahead.com
September 6, 2013
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