Indiana officials took to social media during election season when they thought the state’s road and bridge infrastructure had been subjected to enough potshots.
A series of Indiana Department of Transportation tweets — retweeted by Gov. Mike Pence — with the hashtag “#WhereRubberMeetsRoad” advised that accusations Indiana’s infrastructure is crumbling were irresponsible and scared the public.
Local road chiefs agree that infrastructure that is all too often fair game for criticism is really in pretty fair shape. But they say budgeting for the future really will be where the rubber will meet the road.
The state’s tweets ostensibly to set the record straight on infrastructure said INDOT plans to invest nearly $3.2 billion in bridge and pavement preservation over the next five years, a 58 percent increase from the prior five-year period.
The tweets also said, between 2012 and 2013, state-maintained pavement conditions had improve from 89.3 percent “fair or better” to 90.3 percent. Pavement sealing was said to have increased 18 percent since 2013 and resurfacing contracts were said to have gone up the last two years, too.
INDOT’s 18-month letting list does show more than 20 future road and bridge projects on tap in Dubois County. Local-maintained roads are where Dubois County’s road chiefs must use a sharper pencil than ever.
Jasper Street Commissioner Raymie Eckerle says his city’s streets are in pretty good shape, but staying on top of their needs is a challenge. This paving season, Eckerle said, Jasper identified $3 million in potential paving projects and was able to spend $1.2 million on the ones most needed.
“Years ago, we used to pave a little bit more,” Eckerle said. “We’ve had to switch to other methods in order to stretch the bucks.”
Those other methods include the use of Rejuvenator, a liquid that helps prevent the elements and ultraviolet rays from penetrating the asphalt’s surface, and microsurfacing, a process that includes a mixture of very fine asphalt, concrete, rock and sand being spread via truck onto a street.
“It’s working,” Eckerle said. “The payoff on it is probably not as long. We’re trying to keep the top of that asphalt in the best possible shape we can.”
The money Jasper invests in preservation methods is in addition to that $1.2 million that was spent on asphalt resurfacing.
One helpful thing in tackling complete overlays has been the falling price of a barrel of oil.
“We can do a little bit more because the asphalt prices have sort of held their own,” Eckerle said. “They didn’t keep escalating like they were doing. That’s helped a little bit.”
Huntingburg Street Superintendent Jason Stamm says his city’s streets are rated annually on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the worst.
“When I calculate the scores, I usually pick out the 4s and 5s as the ones that need the most attention,” Staam said. “Last year’s evaluation showed that 12 percent of the blocks in town scored either a 4 or 5. I am starting to track this number to see if it is going up or down in the course of a year.”
Stamm said today’s asphalt just doesn’t seem to last as long. To take up the slack and stretch dollars, Huntingburg has bought pothole-patching and crack-sealing machines.
“We are also looking at doing some of the sealing that Jasper has been doing,” he said.
Dubois County Highway Superintendent Steve Berg said the county was helped this year by competitive paving bids and the decision to use Liquid Road, a durable sealant used to preserve roads, for the first time.
“We’re trying to make these blacktop roads last longer because it’s just not feasible like in the old days to put another overlay over the top of all these roads any more,” Berg said.
Today’s infrastructure budgeting basically has to include spending a nickel now to save a dollar in the future, Berg said.
“We’re researching, learning and trying to do things that make these pavements last longer,” Berg said.
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