To: Darryl James, Executive Director, Montana Infrastructure Coalition
Dear Darryl,
Thank you for contacting me about internet service in Montana, and the importance of staying connected during the COVID-19 outbreak. I am fighting to slow the spread of the virus and to ensure that Montanans receive the support they need during these uncertain times.
COVID-19 has disrupted daily American life. Now more than ever, it is critically important for Montana to have reliable access to high-speed internet. That’s why I voted for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748). This bill includes $100 million for the ReConnect program, an initiative to increase high-speed internet access in rural areas. The CARES Act also included $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services to expand digital network access in areas of the country where such access is lacking.
I also am pushing Senate leadership to pass my bipartisan bill, the Keeping Critical Connections Act (S. 3569). This bill would establish a fund to compensate rural broadband providers for offering free or discounted services to families who are struggling to keep up with their bills due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This legislation would help students in rural areas stay on top of their education as they transition to online learning and allow families to stay connected as more Montanans stay home. To see what resources are available in your area, visit the Federal Communications Commission:https://www.fcc.gov/keep-americans-connected
I will continue to fight for the needs of Montanans as we work through this unprecedented situation. Please don’t hesitate to contact me again if I can be of further assistance.
A clean and reliable water source for drinking, cooking, growing food, and basic hygiene needs provides the foundation for healthy communities and vibrant economies.
According to the Montana chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Montana has over 5,300 miles of water distribution and transmission piping – a longer stretch than driving from Billings to Miami . . . and back.
In 2011, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality identified an immediate water system financial need of $885 million. This estimated investment deficit is based on three critical elements: age of the facilities, capacity demands, and increasing regulatory requirements.
Age: Engineers estimate that the structural service life of most pipes is approximately 75 years (see attached photos of 75 to 100 year old pipe replaced in Cascade). Many of Montana’s small to medium-sized communities were platted in the early 1900’s and much of their water piping has never been replaced, and older and more established communities have water pipes that date back to the late 1800’s. In response to a survey conducted by ASCE, 90 percent of responding communities reported that they are replacing none, or very little of their water distribution system on an annual basis, even while experiencing major leaks. Some small communities experience in excess of 10 leaks per year, and one larger community reported 15 major and 40 minor leaks in 2013.
Capacity: Population growth puts additional strains on infrastructure. Of the communities responding to the ASCE poll, 35 percent said their water treatment systems had zero additional capacity. Over 60 percent reported less than five years of remaining capacity. Only five percent suggested they had 20 years of capacity in their systems. Similar figures were reported for the water distribution systems themselves.
Regulatory Compliance: Of the 700 community water systems in Montana 158 (23 %) are not currently in compliance with regulatory requirements associated with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
The total cost to replace Montana’s entire water and wastewater infrastructure is estimated to range between $12 billion and $15 billion. ASCE estimates that the total annual reinvestment by Montana communities is currently around $165 million, statewide. At this rate of investment, it will take 90 years to replace our aging water infrastructure – this includes both pipelines (with a structural lifespan of 75 years) and water treatment systems (with a service life of approximately 25 years).
Obviously, not all of our water systems need near-term replacement, but with an “immediate” need identified at $885 million (in 2011) and annual expenditures at only $165 million, our current funding pattern will continue to fall woefully short of ever-mounting maintenance, repair, upgrade and replacement needs.
The Infrastructure Coalition is working on a non-partisan legislative package that will help to address some of our most pressing infrastructure needs. Please join us in expressing your support for comprehensive and sustainable legislation that will begin to address critical infrastructure needs, keep our talented workforce fully employed, and shore up the foundations of a healthy economy in Montana.
About the Montana Infrastructure Coalition
The Montana Infrastructure Coalition is an association of over 70 public and private organizations involved in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of our most critical infrastructure in Montana. The purpose of this Coalition is to help change public policy and improve the manner in which State and local governments build and maintain these essential community assets.
Last week, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) notified the public of a significant safety concern with bridge decks in the I-15/I-90 interchange in Butte. (See attached video for illustration of the structural decay). These structures were built in 1963, and are nearing the end of their expected 50-year lifespan. At 53 years old, these structures exceed the average age of American highway bridges by 11 years.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), over 68,800 bridges – representing more than 11 percent of total highway bridges in the U.S. – are classified as “structurally deficient.” (see graphic below) Structurally deficient bridges require significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. According to FHWA’s 2009 statistics, $70.9 billion is needed to address the current backlog of deficient bridges.
Allowing roads and bridges to slip into disrepair ultimately costs state and local governments billions more than the cost of regular, timely repair. Over a 25-year period, deferring maintenance of bridges and highways can cost more than three times as much as preventative repairs. The backlog also increases safety risks, hinders economic prosperity and significantly burdens taxpayers.
Transportation for America suggests that “preservation efforts can also extend the expected service life of a road for an additional 18 years, preventing the need for major reconstruction or replacement. In addition to the safety imperative, investing in the construction, expansion and repair of our nation’s transportation infrastructure creates jobs today while laying the foundation for long-term economic prosperity. Repair work on roads and bridges generates 16 percent more jobs than construction of new bridges and roads.”
The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that “America is currently spending more failing to act on our investment gap than we would to close it. Inefficient infrastructure is costing every household $9.30 a day. However, if every family instead invested an additional $3.00 a day per household, we could close the infrastructure investment gap in 10 years.”
This emergency project is a clear priority, but we cannot ignore the looming threat of our aging roads and bridges and the exponentially mounting costs associated with doing nothing. The Infrastructure Coalition intends to make transportation infrastructure investment a priority in the 2017 legislative session to ensure adequate funding levels to address the most critical roadway and bridge needs at state and local levels.
About the Montana Infrastructure Coalition– The Montana Infrastructure Coalition is an association of over 60 public and private organizations involved in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of our most critical infrastructure in Montana. The purpose of this Coalition is to help change public policy and improve the manner in which State and local governments build and maintain these essential community assets.
The Montana Department of Transportation has an annual budget of over $710 million. Over $390 million of that money comes from the Federal government by way of grants through the Federal Highway Administration. The monies from the Feds are doled out on a project-by-project basis with the State of Montana responsible for approximately 13 percent of the project cost, and the Feds picking up 87 percent of the cost.
Under current projections, the Montana Department of Transportation is expected to fall $27 million short of budget projections, putting many projects and the federal highway matching dollars at risk.
Since the first quarter of this year, MDT has been suggesting that lower-priority projects on secondary highways would be cut, while projects on the Interstate and Primary systems would remain largely unaffected. (Daily Inter Lake, Mar. 2, 2016)
The Montana Infrastructure Coalition believes that safe and efficient roads and bridges are fundamental elements of a healthy community and a robust economy. Leveraging the full amount of federal highway dollars available should be a top priority for every legislature. However, even if the federal match can be made in 2017, the question lingers on what other secondary or local roadway project needs will remain unaddressed.
An average of over 200 drivers are killed on Montana’s highways each year. Montana’s traffic fatality rate is third highest in the nation, with fatality rates on non-Interstate rural roads standing at more than two-and-a-half times the rate on all other roads and highways in the state. Yet simple safety improvements – like adding turn lanes, removing or shielding obstacles, adding or improving medians, widening lanes, widening and paving shoulders, improving intersection layout, and providing better road markings and upgrading or installing traffic signals – may be the first projects to be delayed under budget shortfalls.
Funding for such basic safety improvements shouldn’t be an afterthought, and need not be subjected to political negotiations at the end of each legislative session. It is essential that Montana fully leverage the federal monies available, but we cannot ignore the critical safety needs on local roadways. With better planning, we don’t have to choose which comes first – we can do both.
Please join the Montana Infrastructure Coalition in expressing our support for a more thoughtful and sustainable approach to local road and bridge funding, and to consistently leveraging federal highway dollars to maintain our state and federal highways across Montana.
The Montana Department of Transportation recently announced that routine bridge inspection had discovered “separation between the concrete deck and the … concrete beams at the end spans of both bridges” at the intersection of I-15 and I-90 at the East Butte interchange.
Regardless of the manner in which one supports an investment of public monies into infrastructure projects and whether it is good economic policy, the economic effect of not investing in infrastructure is indisputable. Information released by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) this week shows that Montana joins just 13 other states and the District of Columbia in job losses in the construction sector over the last year.
We all understand the importance of clean water and safe roads in every community, but training and retaining the labor force required to maintain those facilities is also necessary to their continuing operation, and Montana is losing ground.
Montana ranks fourth in the real number of construction jobs lost (-1,900) and second in percentage of construction jobs lost over the past 12 months (-7.2 percent). While several factors are at play, the lack of a consistent and reliable flow of infrastructure projects has resulted in layoffs and relocations. As work slows here, Montana contractors seek work in neighboring states or lose their employees to nearby markets with more construction activity like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California.
The Infrastructure Coalition http://mtinfrastructure.org/ is working on a non-partisan legislative package that will help to address some of our most pressing infrastructure needs. Please join us in expressing your support for comprehensive and sustainable legislation that will begin to address critical infrastructure needs, keep our talented workforce fully employed, and shore up the foundations of a healthy economy in Montana.
The Montana Infrastructure Coalition is an association of over 60 public and private organizations involved in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of our most critical infrastructure in Montana. The purpose of this Coalition is to help change public policy and improve the manner in which State and local governments build and maintain these essential community assets.
