County faces
growing list of road needs, rapid increases in road building costs
Roads
have played a critical role in the history of our nation. Today,
roads may be the most basic element in the evolution of Volusia
County's communities.
Roads
have become so critical in contemporary society that historians are
beefing up the legacy of President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his
resolve in creating a federal highway system. The Interstate system
is a powerful catalyst to the strategic, economic and industrial
development of the United States. As he said in 1954, a modern
network of roads is "as necessary to defense as to our national
economy and personal safety." Soon the Federal Highway Act was in
force, leading to what has become our interstate highway system.
Like
President Eisenhower, local leaders recognize the importance of
keeping up with the need for an efficient system of public roads.
"Today, in Volusia County, roads remain the critical factor in
issues of commerce, quality of life, education, cultural activities
and economic development," said Gerald Brinton, Director of
Construction Engineering in Volusia County's Public Works
Department. "A quick look at the Volusia County road program reveals
the complexity of the challenge to provide adequate roads in the
face of consistent growth and escalating costs." He said the county
is committed to assessing needs continuously and working to meet
those needs.
"Of
course, road improvements are affected by multiple jurisdictions,"
said Maryam Ghyabi, president of Ghyabi & Associates and chair of
the Volusia County Expressway Authority. "While focus on county
roads is well placed, our decisions impact the region as well as our
position along the burgeoning Florida High Tech Corridor."
Volusia
County's Five-Year Road Program includes new road construction, road
improvements, funded sidewalk construction and dirt road paving.
Sidewalk construction is scheduled throughout the county and varies
in length from a tenth of a mile to more than three miles. Efforts
to reduce the number of dirt roads in the county include more than
100 roads to be paved under the program. More than 100 individual
road projects are also in the plan, many of which have been
engineered and are, or soon will be, under construction.
The
escalating cost and demand for new or improved roads is cause for
innovative thinking. There is thought being given to retiring five
cents of the local option fuel tax in favor of a one-half cent sales
tax. Such a shift in taxation dedicated to road building could
increase available funding from less than $10 million to more than
$36 million annually. This would have a dramatic impact on the
overall pool of money that funds the county road program, known as
the Transportation Trust Fund, projected to total $46.7 million for
2005/2006.
As
envisioned, the transportation sales tax would fund capital road
improvements, resurfacing of roads, bridge improvements, commuter
rail, sidewalks and trails. Study and analysis of the proposal
continues as a joint effort involving county and municipal efforts.
Should a half-penny sales tax for roads be recommended, the question
would be put to the voters in the form of a referendum on the
ballot.
Whether
such a plan is embraced by officials, and whether it is approved by
the voters remain unanswered questions. What is not in doubt is
whether the need for new and improved roads will subside.
