Commentary: Bad roads ahead and I-976 isn't (entirely) to blame
By Will Knedlik / For The Herald
The care for and functionality of state and local bridges, highways, roads and streets have declined, for at least 35 years, throughout Washington state — primarily for lack of funding adequate to preserve and to maintain that high-cost and higher-value infrastructure in “good repair” status — and severe consequences for the state economy and for all state motorists have escalated during this decade.
Opposition to Tim Eyman’s latest $30 car-tab initiative by several leading newspapers, and costly advertising campaigns to defeat Initiative 976, focused on reductions to be inflicted upon roadways already on “a glidepath to failure” (in the state’s quite evocative terminology introduced recently).
Indeed, if silver linings abide within that current threat to funding essential for road conservation, statewide, then one key benefit would derive from journalists, commerce, labor and other groups each recognizing, now, the importance of immense roadway investments made through user fees.
Having been approved by voters, if I-976 survives a court challenge, the pivotal state Motor Vehicle Fund would annually receive $70 million less, “exclusively for highway purposes,” as constitutionally guaranteed. While that loss certainly is nontrivial, it would be little more than a minor rounding error next to the massive underfunding of roadways by state, county and city governments across decades. This reality merits thoughtful attention from highly influential organizations publicly expressing angst over “bad roads” today.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/commentary-bad-roads-ahead-and-i-976-isnt-entirely-to-blame/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Maybe the toll troll gets it all?
