BUCHANAN COUNTY, Iowa – Iowa ranks as having the worst bridges in the country by the Federal Highway Administration. County engineers across the state are trying to find a solution to fix an aging network of roads. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reports 4,670 of the state’s 24,090 bridges are in “poor” condition and nearly half rank as just “fair.” Brian Keierleber, Buchanan County Engineer, said as trucks hauling cargo get heavier and heavier, the situation will only continue to…
CBS 7 News (WTRF-TV/Wheeling, W.Va.): West Virginia Bridges in Poor Condition
WHEELING – According to the most recent data published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), West Virginia ranks second in the nation in highest percentage of bridges in poor condition. 1,444 bridges across the state are in poor condition, which is about one of every five bridges or 20 percent of all bridges. This is a big reason why West Virginia local officials joined over 1,000 local government workers across the country in delivering a letter to Capitol Hill that…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting: Advocates at Odds Over Increasing Truck Sizes, as Data Show 20 Percent of W.Va. Bridges ‘Poor’
CHARLESTON – More than 1,400 bridges across West Virginia are in “poor” condition, according to the Federal Highway Administration. According to a new report by the agency, 1,444 bridges in the state, or nearly 20 percent, are in disrepair, the second highest rate in the country. Some advocacy groups are voicing concerns that the state’s infrastructure problems could worsen if a federal proposal to allow larger cargo trucks to hit the road is approved. Advocacy groups are dueling over a…
The Gazette (IA): Bigger trucks will cause bigger problem for Iowa’s ailing bridges, state and local officials tell Congress
“Iowa already allows some heavy trucks, which is readily apparent when driving on some of these roads,” Brian Keierleber, Buchanan County engineer and past president of the National Association of County Engineers, said in the release. “Even in light of these devastating statistics, special interests continue to push to expand overweight trucks across our state and nation.” Read more+…
13 WOWK (WV): West Virginia bridges in poor condition
“1,444 bridges across the state are in poor condition, which is about one of every five bridges or 20 percent of all bridges. This is a big reason why West Virginia local officials joined over 1,000 local government workers across the country in delivering a letter to Capitol Hill that asks policymakers to oppose any truck size or weight increases. You can read the letter here The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) did a study in 2016 which found that thousands…
Over 1,000 Local Officials Deliver Letter to Congress Opposing Bigger Tractor-Trailers
Over 1,000 local government leaders – including mayors, county engineers and public works directors – wrote a letter in April to Congress asking policymakers to oppose any increases in truck size or weight, including longer double-trailer trucks and heavier single-trailer trucks. Click here to read more about the 2019 letter. In addition to the 1,000 community leaders opposed to bigger trucks, a 2018 poll found strong public opposition to heavier and longer tractor-trailers. The national live-operator poll found that 7 out…
Tulsa World (OK): Report ranks Oklahoma third in nation in poor bridges
“Like so many rural communities, my county is hard pressed to find the next nickel to keep up with our road and bridge maintenance,” said Cleveland County Commissioner Rod Cleveland. “Let me be clear, we’re nowhere close to being able to keep up now, but bigger trucks would incur such incredible infrastructure costs that I don’t see how we’d recover.” Oklahoma ranked behind Iowa and Pennsylvania in bad bridges, according to the group. The state had nearly 11% of its…
Pekin Daily Times (IL): Heavy truck traffic can mean heavy Pekin and state road deterioration
“If legal weight limits were increased on all highways governed by the State of Illinois, roads would likely deteriorate faster and more severely,” said Decker. “Allowing permitted weight limit increases would likely cause additional deterioration, but that could be offset by the fee charged for each permit that would go toward road repairs.” An opponent of larger trucks, Bartonville Police Chief Brian Fengel, president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to…
National Organizations Deliver Letter to Congress in Opposition to Bigger Trucks
As the 116th Congress considers solutions for repairing and improving the nation’s transportation infrastructure, national organizations are urging Congress to oppose any legislation that would increase maximum truck size or weight limits on federal highways, as well as any legislative language that would allow bigger trucks in individual states, including any “pilot programs.” Any change overturning current federal weight laws allowing heavier or longer tractor-trailers would have detrimental impacts on our national, county and local infrastructure, costing billions of dollars…
Route Fifty: Making the Case Against Bigger and Longer Trucks on Capitol Hill
“Heavier and longer trucks have impacts on infrastructure and raise safety concerns, due to the additional time and distance needed to stop. “Michigan is already home to some of the heaviest trucks in the nation, but most abide by the national standard due to the inability to travel far out of state at the heavier weight,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief Ron Wiles said. “But you don’t have to drive far to see the impact these trucks have had on our roads and bridges.”…