End of the Road?

* Update*
The WSJ reports that "Bush Calls for New Highway Tolls, More Private Funding of Roads."
Last we checked, states were trying to essentially sell the highways (99 year leases, and other deals) and get money up front. Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania have done it.


According to the WSJ "An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices." The article adds that "In many areas, the ragged edges are already showing. About 25% of bridges in the U.S. are either "functionally obsolete" or "structurally deficient," like the Mississippi River bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis last August, killing 13 people."

Driving around in Chicago and the suburbs can be a dangerous experience because of the condition of the roads. It was particularly bad this past winter, with enormous pot holes.

The United States is the only industrialized country with a poor (or non-existent) public transportation system. Perhaps the current oil prices will spur the public and the politicians to invest in public transportation that will, at the end of the day, boost Productivity, while saving resources.