Best of 2015: Iowa DOT Chief Says System Will Shrink
We were involved in breaking some news this year when I was invited to speak about transportation at a ULI event in Des Moines. During the Q&A portion, my fellow presenter, Iowa DOT Director Paul Trombino, said something I've been waiting to hear a DOT director say. He said our transportation system is going to shrink.
I gave him an opportunity back away form that and, to his credit, he didn't. When we shared that revelation here, along with the audio from the event, it made news widely in transportation circles as well as in Iowa. Again, to his credit, Trombino has continued to speak consistently in how he's described the challenges they face in Iowa. This is really important.
We have overbuilt our transportation systems. Worse yet, the way we finance transportation encourages states to build even more while neglecting those systems they have already built. Trombino's leadership on this issue brings Iowa a lot closer to asking the next great transportation question: How do we make better use of the systems we've already built?
Iowa DOT Director, Paul Trombino
Last week I spoke at a ULI event in Iowa along with Paul Trombino, the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation. During the Q&A, I was absolutely stunned by something the director said about the state's highway system:
And so the reality is, the system is going to shrink.
Now I'm stunned not because of what was said -- we've been saying the same thing here for years -- but because of who said it. While I've had a couple say this in private, talk of contraction is not something I've heard any other DOT director say in public. This is a big deal.
Here's specifically what he said:
I said the numbers before. 114,000 lane miles, 25,000 bridges, 4,000 miles of rail. I said this a lot in my conversation when we were talking about fuel tax increases. It’s not affordable. Nobody’s going to pay.
We are. We’re the ones. Look in the mirror. We’re not going to pay to rebuild that entire system.
And my personal belief is that the entire system is unneeded. And so the reality is, the system is going to shrink.
There’s nothing I have to do. Bridges close themselves. Roads deteriorate and go away. That’s what happens.
And reality is, for us, let’s not let the system degrade and then we’re left with sorta whatever’s left. Let’s try to make a conscious choice – it’s not going to be perfect, I would agree it’s going to be complex and messy – but let’s figure out which ones we really want to keep.
And quite honestly, it’s not everything that we have, which means some changes.
The open road in Iowa
Director Trombino seems like a decent guy who is speaking honestly with people in a Midwestern fashion I appreciate. I made sure he was comfortable with me quoting him on this before we left the event last week and he made it clear that he was. That's great because this is a game-changing acknowledgement that every state DOT director should be putting into the public realm.
And I'm going to call it an acknowledgement. Most DOT directors understand that we've overbuilt, that there will never be the money to maintain everything they are asked to maintain. (I would question the ones who don't, and their adherence to dogmatic politics or their competence.) I've not heard another DOT chief admit this problem publicly. They need to.
Here's why: The day after the ULI event I spoke to an MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) group in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I shared the quote from Trombino with them. Their response: Wish we had known that before because we never would have recommended building more stuff.
Trombino's assessment was both intelligent and pragmatic. Essentially, we can let things fall apart and be left with whatever survives, or we can be more intentional and likely have a far better outcome. That's a rational response, a real Strong Towns approach. We're all in.
In 2009, Iowa had 114,347 highway miles. That is one mile for every 27 people. By comparison, Texas -- the DOT I've long thought was the most hopelessly over-committed financially -- has 87 people per mile. California is 226. So perhaps it is fitting that this acknowledgement first comes from Iowa.
Which state is going to be next? There are 49 more that need to take this first step. Let's try and get them all to speak this honestly.
#NoNewRoads