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AFF continues to support infrastructure improvements for Alabama farm-to-market roads. For farmers, the reliability of our state's roads and bridges plays a major role in moving farm equipment, delivering not only supplies, but customers as well. It is critical for our state to have a safe and efficient roadway system to ensure survival of our agricultural industry.
Key Messages:
- We support increased funding for improving farm-to-market roads and bridges.
- County officials say there are more than 1,500 bridges on Alabama county roads that have received failing grades under federal standards.
- Trucks on state highways transport 80 percent of the $128 billion worth of commodities delivered annually from sites in Alabama.
- We support Congress and the state making the rural highway system a high priority.
Background:
Alabama has applied for a federal grant to assist in repairing deficient roads and bridges. State legislation has been introduced to take $1 billion over 10 years from the Alabama Trust Fund for roads and bridges. Elected officials have also introduced the subject of building toll roads as a way to pay for major highway projects. Other suggestions may include taxing billboards and/or increasing the license fee for commercial vehicles.
Correlating Issues:
- Driving on roads in need of repair costs Alabama motorists $601 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs. That's $165 per motorist.
- A U.S. Department of Transportation study concluded that for each $1 billion of federal spending on highway construction nationwide, more than 30,000 jobs are generated annually.
- Nationwide, 76 percent of all fatal crashes occur on two-lane roads while only 14 percent of fatal crashes occur on roads with four or more lanes. In Alabama, 48 percent of major roads, excluding the interstate, are two-lanes.
Click here to download a PDF version of this Issue Card.
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Issue Cards
