County Commission | The Magazine October 2018 | Page 15

FROM THE COVER
Focusing on Roads
and Bridges in 2019
C
ounty leaders are crystal
clear about what is on the
top of 2019’s “To-Do” List:
secure additional revenue for local
transportation infrastructure.
“This coming year presents
an outstanding opportunity
for us to finally do something
about our crumbling road and
bridge system,” said 2018-2019
Association President Tony Cherry
in his inaugural address. “We will
welcome in a new Legislature —
one that we believe is better poised
to address our infrastructure needs.
But that is only going to happen if
this organization assumes the reins
of this effort.”
County leaders will have up-
to-date data and analysis at their
fingertips thanks to the Road and
Bridge Data Collection Survey,
announced to commissioners and
engineers at the ACCA Convention
in August.
“With survey responses from
each and every one of the 67
counties, we will be better able
to convey the current state of our
county road and bridge system,”
said ACCA Executive Director
Sonny Brasfield. “Completing
this survey is an essential step to
obtaining our ultimate goal —
having the Alabama Legislature
increase funding for county
infrastructure.”
The survey is a sequel to
“A Silent Crisis,” a publication
from the Association of County
Engineers of Alabama that used
2010 data – both statewide and
county-by-county – to sound the
alarm about inadequate funding for
local roads and bridges.
At the time, simple analysis
showed a shortfall of $133 million
a year to adequately maintain
Alabama’s county roads and
bridges. The sequel, sometimes
called “The Silence is Broken:
Continuing the Conversation,” will
show how that shortfall has grown
in the ensuing years.
During September, counties
submitted the following
information through the survey:
COUNTY COMMISSION | 15