Fixing a Leaky Roof (or a Pothole)

from Transportation Experts
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That’s because maintaining roads and bridges isn’t nearly as sexy as building them. "It’s like having the roof leaking and buying a hot tub…. There’s a lot of pressure on [transportation agencies] to build new facilities, and that comes at the expense of keeping up what you’ve got," said Roger Millar, Smart Growth America’s director of Land Use and Transportation Policy. Smart Growth America will release a study next month showing that filling the pothole is perhaps more important than building a new road. Acting now saves money later.
How can infrastructure advocates overcome the political reality that fixing a leaky roof, or a pothole, is just plain boring? Does the public need to weigh in? Or can the discussions be had among just elected officials and the transportation community? Do officials at the federal and state transportation departments need to be more up front about where their allotted transportation money is going if they are to justify the need for more? Do tight budgets help or hurt the conversation?

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