from OurFuture.org:
Broken Bridge Conservatism, ReduxBy Sara Robinson
July 9th, 2008 - 7:58pm ET
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It's not just Texas.
Rick blogged yesterday on the collapsing roads and bridges of Denton County, Texas. Unsurprisingly, it's happening in other places, too. From today's Arizona Star:
PHOENIX — From Wickenburg to Eagar, streets in cities and towns across Arizona are falling into disrepair because there's not enough money to keep them in shape.
Some cities are barely able to pay for routine maintenance, let alone build new roads to keep up with growth. Others, such as Eager, can't even afford to fill the cracks in streets.
Municipalities rely on the state to fund road projects, but that funding no longer is keeping up with the soaring costs and rising demands of road work.
"When the money is not meeting the needs for growth, and infrastructure is crumbling, I don't know how to say it differently — it's bad," said Tom Belshe, deputy director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
The longer Arizona's roads go without repair, the worse they become and the more it will cost to fix them. The cost of highway and street construction jumped 66 percent since 2000 and is still rising, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"The local municipalities are struggling just like the state trying to address their transportation need," said Victor Mendez, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. ......(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/broken-bridge-conservatism-redux