Last year Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. One of the major accomplishments was the inclusion of $27 billion to help repair this nation’s bridges. At a time when local governments should be celebrating this fact, proponents of bigger trucks keep pushing their agenda at the federal and state levels. We need to fix our roads and bridges, not increase the size of trucks, which will only do more harm.
A perfect example is the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pennsylvania last month. While 10 people were injured, fortunately there were no fatalities.
This bridge was one of over 43,000 bridges across the country that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) rated in “poor” condition. While it may take more than a year to fully evaluate the cause of the collapse, we do know this bridge was on a truck route and that it was “posted” for no trucks over 26 tons. Weight limits were an issue.
We know the impact heavier trucks have on our nation’s bridges. In 2016, the USDOT conducted a limited review of National Highway System bridges and found more than 4,800 that would have to be rebuilt or strengthened to accommodate heavier trucks. The impact these bigger trucks would have on state, county and municipally owned bridges would be far worse since these bridges are generally not built to the same standards as those on the interstates.
This year, we have seen state legislation across the country seeking to increase semi-truck size and weight. From Pennsylvania to Georgia to California, we have been engaged in defeating these proposals. We cannot afford these bigger trucks, especially on our local roads. Public safety and our infrastructure are just too important.