(Host) Governor Jim Douglas has come up with an emergency repair program in response to the chorus of criticism about the state’s bad roads.
But administration officials and legislative leaders say the program is not designed as a long-term fix for the state’s aging transportation system.
VPR’s John Dillon reports:
(Dillon) Governor Douglas calls the plan "Operation Smooth Ride."
And it’s clear the program is designed not only to fill gaping pot holes, but also to smooth over criticism that state government has failed to address the crumbling condition of its roadways.
Douglas says the Transportation Agency will find money in this year’s budget to patch some of the worst roads.
(Douglas) “I’ve asked the agency to quickly develop a $3 million program within its current fiscal year ‘08 appropriation to improve the condition of not only the state but also Class 1 town highways that have incurred some of the worst damage caused by this year’s extreme winter weather.”
(Dillon) Transportation Secretary Neale Lunderville said his agency would target roads where a thin layer of blacktop will help them last for a few more years. He said the agency will repair between 80 and 100 miles of road, in addition to regular maintenance projects.
(Lunderville) “The types of repairs that we’re looking at- it’s not just filling potholes. It’s also doing what we call shimming, which is looking at areas that are rutted and making the road smooth across those, as well as some thin overlay treatments across the whole road width in areas where the road bed has really deteriorated.”
(Dillon) The $3 million will have to come out of existing projects or programs. The administration wants the Legislature to authorize the emergency repair.
Legislative leaders endorse the plan, but they say it doesn’t meet the long-term needs. Richard Westman is a Cambridge Republican who chairs the House Transportation Committee.
(Westman) “What I think you have to look at this in the context of is that there’s a real problem immediately out there. And this is an attempt to do a short-term fix to deal with that. But given the level of spending that we’re at over the long term, if we don’t pick up our spending on paving, we’re going to have more and more of these situations coming along.”
(Dillon) Senate President Peter Shumlin also endorsed the plan. But he says the roads need more than a quick fix.
(Shumlin) “I think that the governor is minimizing the challenge that Vermont is facing with roads and bridges. We have a significant problem and we’re losing the battle at between $50 and $70 million a year. And the longer we put it off, the sooner our kids are going to have to pay for our mistakes, our neglect and our debt.”
(Dillon) Transportation Secretary Lunderville says Operation Smooth Ride is not supposed to tackle the major infrastructure repairs.
(Lunderville) “This does not get to that. This gets to the immediate problems we’re having on the roads in Vermont today. This is medium-term fix that we’re looking to make sure the ride is safe and smooth for Vermonters.”
(Dillon) Some lawmakers have urged the state to borrow more money for road projects. But the administration doesn’t want the state to take on much more debt.
For VPR News, I’m John Dillon in Montpelier.