Fuel Costs Slow State Road Projects
T-DOT Says Price Of Petroleum Hampering Upkeep Of Roads
POSTED: 9:18 am CDT June 11,
2008
UPDATED: 10:16 am CDT June 11,
2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The state of Tennessee said they are cutting back on some road projects because of the high price of petroleum.
Video: Fuel Costs Slow State Road ProjectsThe Tennessee Department of Transportation said they are waiting until there's more money for a complete overhaul, as opposed to a costly patchwork repair."We really have some concerns about are we going to be able to maintain the roads in the condition that they are in today," said Paul Degges, T-DOT Engineer.The price of asphalt has significantly jumped in recent months and T-DOT counts on costly diesel to fuel their transport trucks."We are trying to do about 2,500 lane miles a year, and we're probably only going to get 1,500 to 1,600 lane miles this year. It's having a real impact on our ability to keep the roads up," said Degges.The state is putting off any full-scale renovations for as long as possible. The priority will be put on roads that are crumbling at the moment."We might identify 50 or 60 projects. We have to make some decisions and maybe only get to 30 to 35 of those projects, but then we role the list into next year," said Degges.The state is working on some alternatives and a new high-tech type of asphalt that requires less heat, and in turn costs less money.
Video: Fuel Costs Slow State Road ProjectsThe Tennessee Department of Transportation said they are waiting until there's more money for a complete overhaul, as opposed to a costly patchwork repair."We really have some concerns about are we going to be able to maintain the roads in the condition that they are in today," said Paul Degges, T-DOT Engineer.The price of asphalt has significantly jumped in recent months and T-DOT counts on costly diesel to fuel their transport trucks."We are trying to do about 2,500 lane miles a year, and we're probably only going to get 1,500 to 1,600 lane miles this year. It's having a real impact on our ability to keep the roads up," said Degges.The state is putting off any full-scale renovations for as long as possible. The priority will be put on roads that are crumbling at the moment."We might identify 50 or 60 projects. We have to make some decisions and maybe only get to 30 to 35 of those projects, but then we role the list into next year," said Degges.The state is working on some alternatives and a new high-tech type of asphalt that requires less heat, and in turn costs less money. Copyright 2008 by WSMV.com. All rights reserved.
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