Melvin B. Henley

Western Kentucky

State Representative

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July 20, 2008 - A Ripple Effect on the Roads

The nation's gas woes are creating ripple effects that are seriously hampering Kentucky's ability to build and repair its roads.

With fuel prices at an historic high, Kentuckians and consumers everywhere are taking drastic measures to save on their gasoline bills.

Most of us are cutting back on discretionary driving. People are carpooling to work, and taking a pass on far-flung vacations.

Others are getting rid of gas-guzzling SUVs. GM just announced it will shutter four plants that make large vehicles, and consider selling its Hummer division. The auto manufacturers' drawing boards are filled with designs for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Meanwhile, they can't make hybrid cars fast enough to keep up with the growing demand.

You might ask, what does any of this have to do with Kentucky's roads?

All of these actions are resulting in a major reduction in the number of miles driven and the number of gallons of gasoline sold.

The Federal Highway Administration just reported that Americans drove 11 billion fewer miles in March over March of last year. It was the first time in nearly 30 years that the number of road miles traveled in March actually declined. That represents an awful lot of gasoline that people didn't buy.

That's good for consumers and the environment, but bad news for the State Road Fund, which is funded in part through the state gasoline tax. It means there's less money flowing to the State Road Fund, which in turn means less money available for road projects.

At our Transportation Committee meeting in Frankfort last Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Joe Prather presented a report on the State Road Fund, in which he forecast continuing significant declines in the number of gallons of fuel purchased.

Because the road fund is the primary source of funding for construction of new roads and repair of old roads, a significant decline in revenues would mean that some projects are put on hold, while others are shelved indefinitely. We have experienced the results of the declining road fund first-hand, as the final paving of the unfinished portion of KY-80 has run into difficulty. The latest update is that paving will occur in the not too distant future from U.S. 641 to Brinn Road (North 16th Street), and the Transportation Cabinet is doing their best to find sufficient money to pave west from Brinn Road, either two lanes to Coldwater or four lanes half-way.

My thoughts are that we should press for a four-lane half-way, because if they two lane the road we may never see the other two lane portion paved. If the road has four lanes with an unfinished section pressure would build for the completion of the project sooner rather than later. But, this is just my personal opinion. Others may think differently.

Making matters worse, the Federal Highway Trust Fund is expected to run into the red by early next year. Kentucky receives significant federal highway funding, which will almost certainly be cut in the near future if the Federal Highway Trust Fund goes broke. This will exacerbate the problems we already have as a result of declining gasoline sales, and will seriously affect the construction of our bridges across Kentucky and Barkley Lakes because much of the funding for this will be Federal.

There are no easy answers to this fuel-driven dilemma. It took many years and multiple variables for this mess to develop. To turn it around, it's going to take talent, skill, technology, diplomacy, innovation and a good dose of luck - and all that still may not be enough, given the existence of geopolitical and macroeconomic factors beyond our control.

Policymakers in Frankfort and Washington have their work cut out for them.

I can be contacted through the Contact Page of my website at melvinhenley.com or by emailing me directly at melvin@melvinhenley.com.