A growing need
TIMED progresses, but DOTD requires more for other system roads

By Sam Barnes

As the state takes dramatic steps with its 15-year-old Transportation Infrastructure Model for Economic Development, it struggles to find a revenue source for 6,000 miles of roadway that currently don't qualify for federal funds.

This comes as Congress debates the renewal of federal highway funding that should have been disbursed at the beginning of the current fiscal year.

Blaise Carriere, deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, said highway budget coffers in 2004-2005 will grow if proposed federal funding levels are approved.

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"Our operating budget has gone through one state review already and is estimated to be about $416 million," Carriere added.

Capital projects will be funded by nearly $1 billion consisting of $800 million in state and federal money and about $200 million from the state's transportation trust fund.

Congress is close to passing the six-year bill that will provide the federal government's portion of the capital budget. The proposed TEA-3 is the third iteration of the transportation vision established by Congress in 1991 with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and renewed in 1998 through TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

Once approved, the funding will be retroactive to Oct. 1.

The state and federal fiscal years are out of sync, which Carriere said creates "a complimentary situation" since the state has its needs identified three months prior to the federal fiscal year.

While overall budget numbers are expected to increase, Carriere said current revenue streams aren't providing adequate money to repair 6,000 miles of roads that fall under DOTD's jurisdiction but don't qualify for federal funds.

The road segments are primarily local, rural and urban road systems that were absorbed by the state highway system in the 1950s.

"When you own a car you have to change the fluids . . . that's routine maintenance. But every now and then, you check the tread on your tires," Carriere added. "Right now, a lot of these roads are in need a new set of tires. They need to be reconstructed."

He said creating a new revenue source is a possible solution.

"It's a current struggle legislatively to come up with the means to address that issue," he added.

Making the roads a parish or city responsibility is not a viable option without finding federal money to assist in their maintenance.

"The locals at the parish level receive annually a portion of the parish transportation fund," he said. "There is roughly $40 million given to parishes to use in maintenance and re-capitalization of their local road network, which is not enough for them to take on any additional roads.

"In the meantime, we're not going to go off a cliff or anything like that. The 6,000 mi. will continue to receive maintenance," he said.

TIMED accelerates. Dana Newsome, public outreach manager for Louisiana TIMED Managers, said her joint venture firm manages the state's transportation program and is "excited" about the progress being made.

The joint venture is comprised of Parsons Brinkerhoff of New York, The LPA Group Inc. of Columbia, S. C., and Gulf Coast Engineering Consultants of Baton Rouge. Newsome said the three joint venture partners have specific areas of expertise that contribute to the management of the program.

Led by program manager Ron Hartje, LTM is responsible for fiscal management of the four-laning program and has a growing responsibility for planning, design and construction oversight.

"The whole concept came about when Gov. Mike Foster challenged DOTD to speed up the TIMED progress," Newsome said. DOTD responded with a $275 million bond sale proposal and a contract with Louisiana TIMED Managers to oversee the funding allocations from the bond sales.

The bond sales will be made during the next six to eight years and reduce the duration of the TIMED program from 30 to 10 years.

"The bond sales represent a dramatic step toward accelerating the TIMED program," Newsome said, "which will ultimately four-lane nearly 500 miles of Louisiana highways." The program consists of 16 four-laning projects, four of which have already been completed.

"Our main challenge is to oversee the financial data," Newsome said. "We track expenditures and handle the budget to ensure that funding is going to be available when work is ready to begin."

On a select group of projects, LTM also handles project administration, from utility relocation and right-of-way management, to design and construction administration.

On U. S. 171, where the majority of TIMED work is currently concentrated, LTM is responsible for the design and construction oversight of eight projects.

"This takes a lot of the burden off of DOTD," Newsome said. "We have a staff of 50 people working exclusively on this program. Everyone here works on the project every day.

"But, of course, DOTD has overview considerations," she added. "We're here to work for them and they ultimately have the final word on bigger issues."

Of the 16 TIMED corridors, four are already completed.

"The remaining 12 are in some stage of action," Newsome added. The biggest recent news is the unveiling of the designs for the Mississippi River Bridge at St. Francisville. Other future bridges include the Huey P. Long Mississippi River Bridge in New Orleans, the Florida Avenue Bridge over Industrial Canal in New Orleans."

The TIMED program is the single largest transportation program in Louisiana history.

Useful Resources:

For up-to-date information on the TIMED program, go to: http://www.timedla.com/