AUGUST 2008 UPDATE:
 

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SENATE FAILS TO PASS
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND FIX
PRIOR TO AUGUST ADJOURNMENT,
WHILE ADMINISTRATION THREATENS
VETO OF HOUSE FIX

JOBS IN JEOPARDY

AS CONGRESS FAILS TO FIX
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND DEFICIT

HIGH GAS PRICES,
PLUNGE IN MILES DRIVEN,
UNSOLVED FUNDING SHORTAGES,
AND PROPOSED
GREENHOUSE GAS LEGISLATION
MAKE 'PERFECT STORM'
FOR HIGHWAYS

'GAS TAX HOLIDAY' SPREE
WOULD ENDANGER
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
AS FY 2009 SHORTFALL LOOMS


MAY LEGISLATIVE 'FLY-IN'
DELEGATES WILL HAVE
HANDS FULL IN MAY 2008

MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE

OVERRIDES GOVERNOR'S
VETO OF STATE GAS TAX INCREASE

IN BREAK WITH INDUSTRY AND
AASHTO, U.S. DOT REJECTS
MAIN FINDINGS
OF BLUE-RIBBON NATIONAL
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
POLICY COMMITTEE

ARTBA: LET

'CRITICAL COMMERCE CORRIDORS'
BE CENTERPIECE OF NEXT ERA
OF SURFACE TRANSPORTATION

TOLLS, PRIVATE SECTOR MAY

BUILD HALF OF NEW EXPRESSWAYS
IN COMING DECADE

GO-GETTER PETE RAHN

NEW PRESIDENT OF AASHTO

FHWA, STATE DOTS
SCRAMBLE TO EVALUATE
STEEL DECK TRUSS BRIDGES

IN WAKE OF I-35W COLLAPSE

AASHTO'S URGENT PLEA
FOR ACTION
TO ADDRESS
$4 BILLION SHORTFALL
  IN HIGHWAY TRUST FUND
FOR 2009

KUDOS FOR PAVEMENT
PRESERVATION PRESENTATION
TO MINNESOTA DOT


INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM

MARKS GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

IN 2005, AFTER
RECORD 12 EXTENSIONS,

CONGRESS PASSES
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BILL

SAFETEA-LU OBLIGATES OVER
$286 BILLION THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 2009

ASPHALT:

PERPETUAL PAVEMENTS,
NOVEL HMA MIXES
GIVE CONTRACTORS,
GOVERNMENTS
NEW OPTIONS

CONCRETE:
FHWA's MAJOR CONCRETE
INITIATIVE ONLY PART
OF DYNAMIC CHANGE

EXPRESSWAYSONLINE.COM'S
KUENNEN WRITES EXCLUSIVELY
FOR BETTER ROADS  IN 2008

ROADS AND WAR ON TERRORISM


Tom Kuennen's Expressways Online is dedicated to highway, road and bridge infrastructure construction techniques, materials, financing and politics. Expressways Online is your electronic newsletter for value-added information about surface transportation policy, Superpave, High-Performance Concrete, industry meetings and conferences, new technology, design, safety and much more. We update periodically. Bookmark this page, and reload often! 

 
SENATE FAILS TO PASS
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND FIX BEFORE ADJOURNMENT

BUSH ADMINISTRATION THREATENS VETO OF HOUSE-PASSED PLAN


SENATE PLAN WOULD TRANSFER $8 BILLION FROM GENERAL FUND TO COVER HIGHWAY TRUST FUND SHORTFALL

BIPARTISAN PLAN REACHED JULY 9


JOBS IN JEOPARDY AS CONGRESS FAILS TO FIX HIGHWAY TRUST FUND DEFICIT

SEPTEMBER WILL BE LAST CHANCE TO PLUG FUNDING LOOPHOLE


HIGH GAS PRICES, PLUNGE IN MILES DRIVEN, UNSOLVED FUNDING SHORTAGES, AND PROPOSED GREENHOUSE GAS LEGISLATION MAKE 'PERFECT STORM' FOR HIGHWAYS

UPDATE JUNE 6: FAILURE OF CAP-AND-TRADE GREENHOUSE GAS LEGISLATION DOES NOT GET INDUSTRY OFF THE HOOK


BUSH ADMINISTRATION DID NOT UNVEIL DRAFT REAUTHORIZATION LEGISLATION IN MID-APRIL 2008

WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED ARTBA, NAPA AND NATIONAL COMMISSION PROPOSALS, AMONG OTHERS, AND COME IN ADVANCE OF MAY INDUSTRY FLY-IN


IN REBUKE TO G.O.P. GOVERNOR, MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE OVERRIDES
GAS TAX INCREASE VETO

MEASURE IN LATE FEBRUARY CLEARS WAY FOR $6.6 BILLION, 10-YEAR TRANSPORTATION PACKAGE


U.S. DOT REJECTS
MAIN FINDINGS
OF NATIONAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND REVENUE STUDY COMMITTEE

U.S. DOT SECRETARY PETERS SLAMS MASSIVE GAS TAX INCREASES, ENLARGED AND NEW BUREAUCRACIES SUGGESTED BY PANEL MAJORITY REPORT

DOT PROVIDES 'SOUND BITES' FROM STAKEHOLDERS OPPOSING NATIONAL COMMITTEE'S GAS TAX INCREASES

ARTBA LAUDS COMMISSION'S 'BOLD NEW ACTION' TOWARD FIXING INFRASTRUCTURE ILLS

AASHTO SUPPORTS PANEL'S 'BOLD AND GROUNDBREAKING' IDEAS, REAFFIRMATION OF FEDERAL ROLE

AGC SECONDS NATIONAL COMMISSION REPORT FINDINGS, URGES CONGRESS TO CONSIDER PANEL'S RECOMMENDATION

NATIONAL COMMISSION REPORT, RELEASED ON JAN. 15

ARTICLE ON NATIONAL COMMISSION BY TOM KUENNEN IN BETTER ROADS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2007



LET 'CRITICAL COMMERCE
CORRIDORS' BECOME FOCUS OF NEXT FEDERAL PROGRAM, ARTBA SAYS

AS BUSH ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION POLICY DRIFTS, PRIMARY D.C. TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY GROUP URGES CORE FUNDING RENEWAL, PLUS NEW FEDERAL FOCUS FOR SAFETEA-LU REAUTHORIZATION

LINK TO 72-PAGE REPORT


TOLLS, PRIVATE SECTOR
MAY BUILD HALF OF NEW
EXPRESSWAYS IN COMING DECADE

BUT PUBLIC BACKLASH MAY HAMPER SHIFT, AND SYSTEM NEEDS STILL WON'T BE MET, SAYS AASHTO'S HORSLEY AT ARTBA PUBLIC-PRIVATE VENTURES CONFERENCE

HORSLEY'S PPT PRESENTATION (PPT READER REQUIRED)


GO-GETTER PETE RAHN NEW PRESIDENT OF AASHTO FOR 2008

CURRENT MISSOURI DOT DIRECTOR AND FORMER N.M. DOT DIRECTOR THINKS OUTSIDE BOX AND HAS STRONG IDEAS FOR AASHTO DURING HIS TENURE


URGENT PLEA FOR ACTION TO ADDRESS $4 BILLION SHORTFALL FOR HIGHWAY TRUST FUND IN 2009

NEW ESTIMATES FROM OMB RELEASED JULY 11 INDICATE $3.8 BILLION SHORTFALL


KUDOS FOR KUENNEN'S
PAVEMENT PRESERVATION
PRESENTATION TO
MINNESOTA DOT

"KUENNEN'S PRESENTATION AT THE 11TH ANNUAL MINNESOTA PAVEMENT CONFERENCE -- TITLED 'HOT BUTTON ISSUES IN PAVEMENT PRESERVATION' -- WAS LIKE A STATE-OF-THE UNION ADDRESS ON PAVEMENT PRESERVATION"


GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM!

LEGISLATION WAS SIGNED
BY EISENHOWER JUNE 29, 1956

AASHTO-SPONSORED CARAVAN RETRACES 1919 EISENHOWER TRIP -- IN REVERSE!

RESOURCE LINKS FOR GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF INTERSTATE

EXPRESSWAYSONLINE.COM'S
KUENNEN WROTE INTERSTATE 50
210-PAGE COMMEMORATIVE PUBLICATION



IN 2005, AFTER RECORD 12 EXTENSIONS, CONGRESS PASSES SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BILL

BILL OBLIGATES $286.4 BILLION
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2009
 
 

ASPHALT:
PERPETUAL PAVEMENTS,
NOVEL HMA MIXES
GIVE CONTRACTORS,
GOVERNMENTS
NEW OPTIONS

CLICK HERE
 

CONCRETE:
FHWA's MAJOR CONCRETE
INITIATIVE ONLY PART
OF DYNAMIC CHANGE

CLICK HERE
 

ROADS AND THE 
WAR ON TERRORISM

RALLY FOR ROADS!

The nation's roadbuilders and their allies are pondering how they will provide the roads and highways the nation will need to maintain its economy and help fight the new War on Terrorism. Now more than ever, we need to keep our highways and bridges secure, intact and in good working order.



CLIENT NEWS
AND PUBLICATIONS!


Better Roads Logo 

EXPRESSWAYSONLINE.COM'S TOM KUENNEN WRITES EXCLUSIVELY FOR BETTER ROADS MAGAZINE IN 2008!

Read the June 2008 ROAD SCIENCE article from ExpresswaysOnline.com on the web site of Better Roads, Roadbuilders to Get Fresh Look at Two-Lift Concrete Paving

Read the April 2008 ROAD SCIENCE article from ExpresswaysOnline.com on the web site of Better Roads, New, Low-Cost Web Resources Will Drive Pavement Inventories

Read the February 2008 ROAD SCIENCE article from ExpresswaysOnline.com on the web site of Better Roads, Green Highways Now Part of Complete Package




Wirtgen Group Logo

NEW: READ THE SPRING/SUMMER 2008  WIRTGEN TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

A 4.6 mb pdf file . . written and photographed by Expressways Online, for Wirtgen America, Inc., ( Adobe Acrobat Reader required)


READ THE FALL/WINTER 2007
WIRTGEN TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE



FP2 Logo

NEW: READ THE SUMMER 2008 PAVEMENT PRESERVATION JOURNAL

READ THE SPRING 2008 PAVEMENT PRESERVATION JOURNAL

. . . the new quarterly publication edited by Expressways Online, for the Foundation for Pavement Preservation
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

 
 

PRIMER
ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Puzzled about presumed Climate Change? Don't know what to think? Let Expressways Online tell you what to think! Here you'll find a variety of short essays explaining the climate change furor, as developed for the Greening Earth Society.


MORE CLIENT NEWS

READ OUR ARTICLE

. . . on Hot In-Place recycling of asphalt pavements of University Park, Tex., for Cutler Repaving Inc.

READ OUR ARTICLE

. . . on Would 'Green' Movement Have Pulled TVA's Plug?, for the Greening Earth Society.
 

READ OUR ARTICLE

. . . on the website of Construction Equipment Distribution , on Western Power & Equipment


READ OUR ARTICLE

... profiling water blasting contractor Hennigan Engineering and its cleaning of the heat exchangers at Indian Point III nuclear power plant!
 


READ 10-PART HISTORY OF  20th CENTURY AMERICAN ROAD BUILDING AND THE AMERICAN ROAD & TRANSPORTATION BUILDERS ASSOCIATION (ARTBA)

Series commissioned by ARTBA and written by ExpresswaysOnline in 2001; Adobe Acrobat Reader required, click above for links to 10 installments
 

  

ARCHIVED NEWS ARTICLES!
 

BACKTRACK 2003:
FUNDS SHORTAGE

EMERGES AS CRITICAL ISSUE IN TEA-21
REAUTHORIZATION
 

A SHORTFALL IN FUNDING IN CRITICAL FEDERAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING THREATENS ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND PRESERVATION EFFORTS
 

BACKTRACK 2002:
INDUSTRY, LEGISLATORS WANTED
$40 BILLION 
TO $50 BILLION/YEAR TEA-3 PROGRAM 
(and that's not all ...)
 

ARTBA LAYS OUT PLAN
FOR $60 BILLION/YEAR
PROGRAM BY FY 2009
 

BACKTRACK 2002: LINES DRAWN IN TEA-21 REAUTHORIZATION!

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES SEEK 'MONUMENTAL' CHANGE IN U.S. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION POLICY



OTHER ARCHIVED ARTICLES
ON HIGHWAY POLICY!

INDUSTRY, LEGISLATORS HUSTLE
TO RESTORE FY 2003 FUNDING

April 2002 -- Back then it looked like the road construction and maintenance industry would recover most of the surface transportation funding cuts planned by the Bush administration for FY 2003, which begins Oct. 1.
 

YEAR 2001 SEASON
WAS WATERSHED
IN WORK ZONE SAFETY

September 2001 -- During the 2001 road work season, the industry stepped up its war on work zone fatalities and injuries with new efforts at the national level, and among states as well
 

FEDS, STATES AND PRIVATE SECTOR SCRAMBLE TO DELIVER PROJECTS

July 2001 -- Transportation Secretary Mineta vows more concrete is on way, as inadequate funding no longer main issue for highway, airport work
 

ATTACK ON FEDERAL GAS TAX RESUMES AS CONGESTION
PROBLEMS INCREASE

May 2001 -- A suspension or "holiday" in the collection of all or part of the federal gas tax -- even if temporary -- would endanger the highway industry's attempts to reduce the backlog of U.S. highway infrastructure construction needs. 
 

Click Here for More
Politics and Funding Articles
 
 

ARCHIVED TECHNICAL ARTICLES!
 

ASPHALT INDUSTRY
HEAVES SIGH OF RELIEF
AS NIOSH EASES AWAY
FROM FUMES FINDING

May 2001 -- The federal government isn't about to declare fumes from asphalt paving operations to be carcinogenic.
 

FHWA INCLUDES WORK ZONE MOBILITY IN NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING

FOCUS ON DRIVER DEATHS IN WORK ZONE AWARENESS WEEK
 
ABANDONMENT
OF THE RESTRICTED ZONE
BY SUPERPAVE SPECS
WILL MEAN BETTER MARKET
FOR AGGREGATE GRADATIONS

Superpave secret: Use right roller . . . Foamed Asphalt makes inroads in Wisconsin . . . Superpave restricted zone under fire . . . Ann Arbor conference in Seattle report . . . High-Performance Concrete ...  Click Here For More Methods
and Materials Articles
 

REFERENCE AND ARCHIVAL MATERIAL!
 

ANALYSIS

How Gore-Lieberman Win Would Have Impacted U.S. Fuel Taxes, Prices (October 2000)

Will Lack of "Hard" Research Cause
F-SHRP to Fall Flat? (March 2000)

Don't Ignore the Soccer Moms and Dads
(August 1998)
 

PRIMER ON 1998 REAUTHORIZATION

Here's a must-have background on 1998 Surface Transportation reauthorization, including a glossary 
 

INTERNET SERVICES

Learn about our turnkey web site content and development abilities for the construction, civil engineering, architecture and mining industries 
 

'TALK BACK' AND LINKS

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