James M. Jeffords: “when you live in Vermont, you must endure a long, hard winter. To keep spirits up, a Vermonter will look for signs of…”

“when you live in Vermont, you must endure a long, hard winter. To keep spirits up, a Vermonter will look for signs of spring, sometimes in the most unlikely places. One leading indicator of brighter days ahead is a phenomenon known as the frost heave. As temperatures rise, highways begin to buckle, producing humps in the road that rattle your teeth and mangle your shocks. Highway workers post bright orange signs to warn drivers of upcoming frost heaves. To a Vermonter, these signs are like the first flowers in bloom. As the seasonal changes unfold, the frost heaves recede and the paved roads return to their more normal state. Unfortunately, that is often a state of disrepair. Bridges share this sorry condition, due to effects of weather, wear and tear. The cure is major maintenance, reconstruction or replacement. But that costs money, a lot of money. For more than the 3 years now, we have been working to reauthorize the highway program--because our transportation challenges are many. The bill before us is a good one, it may not include all the funding it deserves, but it does move us forward. This bill addresses many very important issues facing our roads and highways. Safety is my highest priority. Last year, Vermont experienced the highest number of fatalities on its highways since 1998. Ninety-seven people died in automobile crashes, up from 69 in 2003. Nationally, we have made real progress on highway safety over the last 10 years. According to the U.S.…”