News

Rural roads and bridges need improvement

Rural roads and bridges are costing farmers time and money.

A new report this week by TRIP, a non-profit transportation research group, found 11 percent of the nation’s rural bridges structurally deficient and 10-percent were functionally obsolete.  In 2013, 15 percent of rural roads were in poor condition, 39 percent were mediocre or fair.  The report says traffic crashes and fatalities on rural roads are three times higher than all other roads.

Kathy Maurer with the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee tells Brownfield inefficient roads are slowing farmers down.

“If they have to travel an additional 10 or 20 miles to get around a bridge that has a weight limit on it, that totally hampers their ability.”  She tells Brownfield, “Or if they have to shrink their loads down and have to make that trip two or three times, it effects their profitably and ability to get their products to market or their inputs in.”

Michigan’s rural roads were the worst in the country, rated 37 percent in poor condition.

The report says that the U.S. needs to adopt transportation policies that will improve rural transportation.  TRIP recommends modernizing and extending key routes, implementing roadway safety improvements, improving public transit in rural areas and adequate funding.

The current federal surface transportation program that funds rural roads is set to expire at the end of the month.

AUDIO: Interview with Kathy Maurer (3:02 mp3):