Pit & Quarry, December 2014

RoundTAble ConfeRenCe the state level because at least something is going to happen there Its not going to happen everywhere but its certainly going to happen in some places MIKE HINRICHSEN I think the larger issue here is we have a nation that needs to right their ship before they can start fixing their problems Thats the whole issue I have to believe that eventually well get it right and I would also suggest that Illinois is probably not the best shining example right Hinrichsen MARK KRAUSE No but at least you have a highway program MIKE HINRICHSEN I dont know how were paying for it MARK KRAUSE I dont either MIKE HINRICHSEN We have to be collectively and I say collectively because all of us have served the construction and the construction materials business need to have one voice It needs to be consistent it needs to be powerful and it needs to be unwavering and we still dont have that We think sometimes we do but I dont think were there yet SCOTT ALEXANDER One approach to lack of funding has been private groups coming in and funding toll roads and thats a success in certain areas But I dont think thats the solution Its kind of been a Band Aid to the problem of the infrastructure needs versus the lack of funding Alexander JOHN BENNINGTON Speaking of toll roads it just so happens I drove here from Iowa yesterday and a large portion of that drive is toll roads basically from eastern Illinois all the way to here And by far and away the best piece of road was western Illinois Western Illinois is the best part before you get to the toll road When you get to the toll road there is a lot of construction admittedly but even the parts that are recently constructed especially in Indiana are kind of in an awful state So thats my concern with the toll roads Its a little bit like with the gas tax The money is being collected but is it going where it needs to go to do the job its being asked to do Thats the big question MARK KRAUSE I believe a foreign company actually owns that toll road SCOTT ALEXANDER Its not uncommon that a foreign company came in and made a huge investment But because of the fees the usage of the road wasnt what they expected so they havent had the anticipated return MIKE JOHNSON Ive been resisting the urge to jump in early conversation as the guy who is probably most responsible for the advocacy programs around this industry I wanted to hear what you guys were saying first and I have to tell you Im hearing a lot of the same when I go out and speak in the states This room is exactly on point as it relates to what were hearing across Johnson the country on this You heard it from the conference speaker George Reddin this morning We cannot continue to live on the short term extensions Those will not get us to where we need to be Terri Lynn Land is the candidate in Michigan running against Gary Peters And for the first time in a Senate race in this country youve actually got this issue at the forefront She started calling him Pothole Peters and claims that its his fault as a member of Congress that the roads of Michigan are so bad Her solution is to get the federal government out of the business and send the money to the states Land was defeated You talked about the amount of the money thats syphoned out of the Highway Trust Fund for things other than roads Its the smallest percentage at the federal level youll find Its states where you really find the raping pillaging and plundering of highway trust funds because governors get in this mode where theyve got to find fast money and thats where it is At the federal level youve got a firewall They can only use money in the Highway Trust Fund for highway or transit or to your point some bike paths some landscaping By law the bulk of the money goes to builds roads A state senator in Missouri the chairman of their transportation committee said the problem with the Highway Trust Fund is waste fraud and abuse and that the money is being used to pay for ObamaCare That is absolutely not true and I had to stand up and correct the record Some have said the problem is that people are driving less and cars get better mileage Thats really not the problem The problem is if we had just indexed the 1993 increase for inf lation wed have a surplus today in the Highway Trust Fund So yeah while private public partnerships Cadnum 32 PIT QUARRY December 2014 www pitandquarry com