Louisiana DOT stresses sustainable transportation funding

Speaking to a major conference of North American transportation professionals, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary William D. Ankner, Ph.D., stressed the importance of tolling and other sustainable forms of funding to promote mobility and economic growth in America.

“We cannot continue to fund our vital transportation assets by taxing a fuel that is unsustainable," Ankner said. "Transportation agencies in America must move to tolling and other direct user fees to support transportation and much needed mobility.”

“High occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes) and other forms of variable road charging will play an increasingly important role in efforts to relieve congestion in densely populated metropolitan areas.”

Speaking to the Maintenance Committee Fall Conference of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association in New Orleans, Ankner underscored the vital role that maintenance professionals play in preserving and extending the life of highways, bridges and tunnels.

“In this era of constrained government revenues and a worldwide crisis in credit markets, preserving our existing assets is imperative. Your contribution to the life of our assets is without parallel,” Ankner said.

Referring to Louisiana’s response to this season’s Hurricane Gustav, Ankner commended the state’s transportation maintenance personnel for organizing a highly effective evacuation by using contra-flow lanes in which West-bound highways were reversed to allow motorists to leave the state in an easterly direction. The state was able to evacuate more than 1.3 million citizens using this innovative approach. “Good maintenance is at the heart of a sustainable and socially responsible transportation system. Maintenance professionals in the toll industry are leading the way in innovation and have many positive lessons to share with state departments of transportation across the country.”