Precast Inc. - September/October 2008 - (Page 62) PEOPLE & PRODUCTS People & Products is a forum where NPCA members and nonprofit organizations can share information on new products, personnel promotions/acquisitions or service announcements concerning the precast concrete industry. Items are printed on a space-available basis. For possible inclusion, send your press releases and photos to NPCA, Attn: Precast Inc. magazine, 10333 N. Meridian St. Suite 272, Indianapolis, IN 46290 or e-mail them to rhyink@precast.org. AASHTO Releases Report on State of the Nation’s Bridges The price tag to repair and modernize the nation’s 600,000 bridges is $140 billion, according a new report by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, along with AASHTO President Pete Rahn and Vice President Al Biehler, held a press conference in Philadelphia on Monday, July 28, to release the association’s study “Bridging the Gap: Restoring and Repairing the Nation’s Bridges.” The AASHTO report outlines the difficult challenges that lie ahead in maintaining, repairing and replacing the nation’s bridges. The news conference took place beneath an Interstate 95 overpass, not far from where a widening crack was discovered in a pier support back in March. The emergency repairs lasted two days, forcing more than 368,000 vehicles to detour around that section of the interstate. “Unfortunately Pennsylvania has been a bit of a poster child for bridges with significant needs,” said Biehler, who is also the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. “On average across the nation, the average age of bridges is 43 years. In Pennsylvania, it’s 51 years. And that helps to contribute to the kind of problems we’ve had.” Rendell recently signed a $350 million initiative to expedite repairs to 411 state bridges. “No matter how hard a state applies its efforts and its resources to this problem, it’s never going to make enough of a dent without significantly and radically increased federal help,” he said. The AASHTO report characterized many of the nation’s bridges as “Baby Boomers” because while most were built to last 50 years, their average age is 43. According to the report, 20 percent of America’s bridges are more than 50 years old. Age, deterioration, soaring construction costs and increasing traffic congestion were cited as some of the major bridge problems facing the nation. The AASHTO report pointed to the need for increased investment in transportation at all levels of government – federal, state and local; support for a wide range of revenue options such as tolls, tax increases, annual road user fees, bonds or private investment; and a continued commitment to research, innovation and technology as key solutions. The report also calls for systematic maintenance to extend the life of BOOTH 1049 THE PRECAST SHOW BOOTH 440 THE PRECAST SHOW 62 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | PRECAST INC. http://www.stackit.net http://www.grifcote.com http://www.stackit.net http://www.grifcote.com
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