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The big fix

 

It’s game time.

Name this country from these clues: Crumbling bridges, steam pipe explosions, water main breaks, traffic congestion, less-than-stellar railroads, a faltering monetary system, financial institutions that are dependent on foreign money to stay solvent and a sputtering economy.

A Third World country? It may sound like one, but we’re talking about America here – a superpower with chinks in its armor.

Economy aside, the decaying infrastructure exposes the nation’s soft underbelly. How did we get into this mess? One answer is investment priorities, always a hot button for politicians and the electorate.

Infrastructure investment, and any discussion of it, is generally eschewed by the populace. Asking residents to vote on raising their taxes is like asking someone if it would be OK to pound a nail in their hand; the answer is generally “No.”

The American public is a complaining lot: the roads stink; the trains stink, the bridges really stink …

The majority of Americans complain about the state of our infrastructure in one breath and when given the opportunity to reverse course via a referendum choose to reject it. Witness what voters did in New York state in 2000 – they defeated the $3.8 billion Transportation Bond Act. Five years later, they thought better of it and approved the Rebuild and Renew Transportation Bond Act. It helped that nearly a billion dollars was shaved off it when it was offered again to the electorate. However, it’s interesting to note that in its reformulated version, the 2005 bond did little for transportation issues beyond the borders of New York City. In 2000, $1.6 billion was slated to go to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In 2005, a little more than $2 billion went to the MTA.

Putting politics aside, Ronald DeFeo, a 1974 graduate of Iona College and the CEO of Connecticut-based Terex Corp., got an illustrious group of people together at his alma mater last week to discuss the nation’s infrastructure. Those on hand included: former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt; former New York state Gov. George Pataki; Peter Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association; and U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Kicking off the daylong conference was Susan Eisenhower, president of The Eisenhower Group and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the man who championed the creation of the interstate highway system. He must be rolling in his grave over the current state of the nation’s infrastructure.

Ruane pointed out that in addition to poorly maintained roads and bridges, the nation is heading toward a “freight bottleneck” crisis. Citing the Federal Highway Administration, there are more than 200 bottlenecks that are costing the trucking industry $8 billion in losses annually and 243 million hours in delays each year. Truck traffic is expected to double in the next 25 years. His group proposes creating “critical commerce corridors,” which would establish truck-only lanes among other plans. The initiatives would be funded through fees on freight shipments. It was also suggested that public-private partnerships be created to fund the proposal.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said tackling the infrastructure crisis requires new strategies and alliances.

He called for the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and his group to work together, “which would be as likely as three dangerous snakes occupying the same rabbit hole.” But, he told the crowd, “I would take that chance, because we are already in that hole together.”   

A public-private partnership was suggested by Gov. Eliot Spitzer in addressing the costly fixes for the Tappan Zee Bridge and I-287 corridor. The funding factor remains “the 800-pound gorilla,” he said, adding the money would have to be accessed via the private equity market in addition to the public sector.

Prior to a recent meeting on the superstructure, a stop at a restaurant resulted in an enlightening and relevant monologue by an ever-knowing bartender. It helps put perspective on the bridge, infrastructure and the world at large.

“So I’m watching TV and they’re talking about how an asteroid is supposed to hit the Earth in 2029 and NASA wants $350 million to build a missile to knock it off course. Then I open up the paper and see that it’s gonna cost $2 billion for a new Tappan Zee Bridge. So it’s $350 million to save humanity, but freakin’ $2 billion just to build a new bridge!”

Hopefully, a friend of his could ease this to him gently: With a new transportation system, the price tag could be as much as $15 billion.

But, of course, if it goes to a public referendum, you can count on it being voted down.

 

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