TN Infrastructure Alliance Stops in Bedford County on its
95 County “Truck Tour”
Tour highlights importance of maintaining and adequately funding infrastructure
for long term vitality of our counties.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/21/2009 | Contact: Susie Alcorn, TIA (615) 418-9931 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – TN Infrastructure Alliance (TIA) recently completed a statewide, 95 county “Truck Tour” to raise awareness and support for Tennessee’s infrastructure needs. TIA stopped in Bedford County to highlight the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations’ (TACIR) report: “Building Tennessee’s Tomorrow: Anticipating the State’s Infrastructure Needs.”
“As County Mayor, I am in support of projects that will help the people of Bedford County,” said Eugene Ray, Mayor of Bedford County. He Continued, “I believe every resident should have access to potable water and that better schools and roads should be a continuous effort.”
In Bedford County, 65 projects were reported that still require funding. Those projects come at an estimated total investment of $241,518,380. Projects can include infrastructure needs such as transportation networks, stormwater control, public school buildings, drinking water and sewer systems.
The TACIR report, “Building Tennessee’s Tomorrow: Anticipating the State’s
This represents an increase of $5.9 billion, or 21%, since the previous inventory— this figure includes the cost of upgrading existing public schools to good condition.
“Infrastructure is the very foundation of society, and its development and maintenance is one of the primary responsibilities of government,” said Pete DeLay, TIA Chairman. “Without basic infrastructure services – drinking water, sewer systems, flood control, a transportation network – the delivery of other services, such as education and health care, fire and police protection, are impossible.”
Total infrastructure needs reported increased 21% since the last report, partly because of more complete reporting on bridge improvement needs.
In the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007, TACIR took a closer look at the information maintained by Tennessee’s Department of Transportation about bridge needs in the state and discovered that we had not been gathering all of it into the public infrastructure needs inventory. Consequently, this latest inventory includes nearly $660 million of bridge improvements that were not captured in earlier inventories.
Specifically, TACIR shows Bedford County infrastructure needs to include:
§ 23 Transportation projects in need of $67,678,967
§ 1 utility project in need of $1,500,000
§ 3 Non K-12 education projects in need of $300,000
§ 3 improvement projects at existing schools in need of $26,047,192
§ 3 K-12 new school construction projects in need of $27,600,000
§ 16 water and wastewater projects totaling $34,118,828
“Adequate infrastructure means jobs for Tennessee’s communities,” said DeLay. “It is the key to economic growth & development. Without available infrastructure, public health and safety and our quality of life are jeopardized. We cannot ignore this growing problem.”
The Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance (TIA) is Tennessee's advocate for adequate infrastructure. By educating policy makers on the needs of the future, TIA helps Tennessee's communities plan to accommodate growth and promote commerce and safety.
To learn more about TIA visit http://www.tninfrastructure.org/
To obtain photographs from TIA’s stop in Bedford County contact TIA at: 615-418-9931 or send an email info@tninfra.org
To read the full TACIR report visit: http://www.state.tn.us/tacir/PDF_FILES/Infrastructure/Sept09/Infrastructure_Sept09.pdf
###
Posts
