The soap dispensers in Indiana’s state capitol building must be clogged.
For years, legislators in Hoosierland tried to raise fees on the Indiana Toll Road. Time after time, the people chucked their basketballs in protest, forcing those in control to call off the press. Tired and sweaty, the politicians decided to wash their hands of it. The Indiana Toll Road was put up for sale and leased by a private investor, who will raise the price for tickets whenever it can even if the situation turns into a loser for motorists.
In mid-March, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, perhaps questioning his dodgeball skills, responded to public pressure and pulled back on plans for a series of new expressways in Indiana. He benched his proposal to build the Indiana Commerce Connector, a toll road bypass east and south of Indianapolis, and threatened to blow the whistle on the Illiana Expressway, which would serve northwest Indiana, and an extension to I-69 that would connect Indianapolis to Evansville.
“After legislative action to date, some 40 public meetings and lots of other open debate, it is clear to me that we are far from the degree of consensus that is necessary before embarking on major public works projects of high local impact,” Daniels said in a letter to Indiana state lawmakers.
Looks as though there will be no suds rubbed into this dilemma, or will there be? I do have to commend Daniels on his aggressiveness. He had the foresight and bravado to stuff this concern of moving commerce in the U.S. into a freight box and ship it away. Both the Indiana Commerce Connector, linking the north to the south, and the Illiana Expressway, connecting east to west, would have given the trucking industry a safe, fast and friendly convoy through the state. The people, however, tossed a strip of road spikes out in front of the victory parade.
I had the opportunity to hear Bill Graves, the president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), provide an 18-wheel state of the industry. The future load of this country is a heavy one. Between 2005 and 2017 there will be a 31% increase in trucking.
Right now there isn’t a pair of shoulders broad enough to solve the problem. The railroad industry is in shambles and at capacity, the airline business is too expensive and the nation’s roads and bridges are too constrained.
Buried in despair and trying to breathe, the ATA has asked Congress to allow 97,000 lb or more on the highway. Currently, the system is designed for 72,000-80,000 lb. There also is discussion from the Michelins and Goodyears of offering fat single tires per axle instead of the traditional two. This, according to the experts, would create a lighter footprint and increase gas efficiency.
Daniels had the answer right on his desk—new roads designed to handle more weight and in turn more commerce. The public has a right to express concerns of what might be popping up in their backyard. However, if every state leaves it to the common voice the freight industry is doomed to stall.
I have never been a fan of the old-boy way of plowing roads through living rooms, but how are we going to handle the 31% increase in truck deliveries? A revamped railroad system is probably the best solution, but it could takes decades before one is in place. Allowing heavier freight is another way out, but it would only be temporary. Maybe the states could just lease the entire road network. Of course, if they did that the nation would be facing a serious hand soap shortage.
