Report Highlights Alabama’s Poor Roads as Officials Consider the ‘T Word’
The state’s roads are in bad shape. Those potholes and accidents cost the average driver in the Birmingham area about $1,800 a year, according to a new report from a Washington, D.C.-based transportation group.
The report comes as state lawmakers prepare to convene next week in Montgomery for the start of the legislative session. Gov. Kay Ivey is expected to make an announcement Tuesday on a plan to improve state infrastructure. She supports a gas tax increase for roads and bridges.
More than 40 percent of Birmingham’s major roads and highways are in poor or mediocre condition according to TRIP, a national transportation nonprofit research group.
Some state officials say area roads could get much-needed repairs or be replaced with money from a proposed gas tax increase.
Rocky Moretti, an analyst with TRIP, says Alabama’s vehicle fatality rate is higher than the national average, and the deteriorating roads are a problem.
“If the state had the ability to go ahead and fund a variety of safety improvements, those numbers would come down,” Moretti says.
Building support for a tax increase in a Republican-controlled legislature can be a hurdle. Longtime state Sen. Jabo Waggoner, a Republican, supports the increase.
“It is the ‘T’ word, and you don’t find Republicans every day that are going to vote for a tax,” he says. “But listen, I’ve heard all the facts and figures and this is something I support.”
Waggoner says the American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave Alabama roads a D-plus.
“You know, that’s close to failing. We have school buses going over these bridges every day,” he says.
The state’s poor infrastructure also stands in the way of recruiting new business, Waggoner says. He predicts the gas tax will pass.
But the state GOP executive committee this past weekend said it will not support a tax increase without tax cuts in other areas.
The legislative session starts March 5.
Supreme Court blocks redrawing of New York congressional map, dealing a win for GOP
At issue is the mid-term redrawing of New York's 11th congressional district, including Staten Island and a small part of Brooklyn.
Video of Clinton depositions in Epstein investigation released by House Republicans
Over hours of testimony, the Clintons both denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes prior to his pleading guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
Some Middle East flights resume, but thousands of travelers are still stranded by war
Limited flights out of the Middle East resumed on Monday. But hundreds of thousands of travelers are still stranded in the region after attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.
‘Hamnet’ star Jessie Buckley looks for the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters
Buckley has been nominated for a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of William Shakespeare's wife in Hamnet. The film "brought me into this next chapter of my life as a mother," Buckley says.
How, who, and why: NPR flips its famous letters to defend the right to be curious
NPR is standing up for the public's right to ask hard questions in a national campaign dubbed "For your right to be curious." At NPR's headquarters, on billboards in New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and across social media, NPR's three iconic letters transform into "how," "who," and "why" — a bold declaration of its commitment to fight for Americans' right to ask questions both big and small.
Oil prices surge, but no panic yet, as Iran war continues
Global oil prices are in the high $70s as traffic through Strait of Hormuz comes to a halt. Some analysts have warned they could top $100 a barrel if the stoppage is prolonged.
