Engineering Inc. - July/August 2004 - 18

 Should an engineering company recruit from the new crop of engineers that
are graduating, or should they hold off because they don't know what their
future level of work will be? Should construction m e a n $2.1 billion in
project So-called donor states there p o r t a t i o n spending seriously
firms be ordering equip- d e l a y s and the loss of over are 17 of them
typically get only impacted road and transit proj- ment in anticipation of
a 90,000 jobs, the survey said. 91 cents from Washington for e c t s . This
time, however, the big project season, or is it GeoDesign, von Rosenvinge's
every $1 their citizens spend in gas delay is complicated by the com- going
to be a smaller sea- engineering design firm, works taxes. Some lawmakers
want to ing presidential election. son than last year? on public
transportation projects. increase that reimbursement to 95 Despite
pressure from Presi- WILLIAM MILLAR While his company has weath- cents on
the dollar. dent Bush's allies in business and AMERICAN PUBLIC ered the
federal delays by picking The Senate's $318 billion plan construction to
approve a higher TRANSPORTATION up private work, von Rosenvinge would
provide this 95-cent reim- amount of transportation spend- ASSOCIATION c o
n c e d e s that his company's bursement, but few expect the i n g , the
administration seems rapid growth has slowed. final transportation bill
will have determined to show American Elsewhere in the state espe- this
much money. The House's voters he's serious about control- cially among
companies that rely $284 billion, analysts say, would ling federal
spending. There are h e a v i l y on public contracts n o t only prevent
donor states predictions that Congress may t h i n g s are worse. Von
Rosen- from getting more money, but not pass its transportation bill vinge
knows of firms that have might actually push some donee until after the
November elec- closed their Connecticut opera- states those that get more
fed- tion, or that it may approve a tions for the season due to lack of
eral gas-tax money than they put s p e n d i n g plan that must be w o r k
. Some contractors have in into the donor category. revisited next year.
already lost out on this highway Those in Northeastern donee A s each day
passes the construction season, he said. states argue they need the extra
prospect of getting a multi-year ACEC/New York Executive money because
their roads tend re a u t h o r i z a t i o n bill done this Director Jay
Simson has heard of to be older than elsewhere in the year becomes slimmer
and slim- transit projects, nor can they quite a few projects either held
country. Those in Western donee mer, said T.J. Schulz, director r e l e a
s e money for those that up, withdrawn or not issued at states argue their
roads are heav- of transportation programs for might need construction
dollars all because of the federal delay. ily used by cross-country com-
ACEC. Still, we remain hope- several months out. That affects Folks who
rely on this work mercial traffic. ful that the nation's tremendous e n g
i n e e r s and land surveyors have had to downsize and lay peo- You can't
always give 100 per- infrastructure needs and job cre- who design these
projects. Also it ple off to react to this, Simson cent of the dollars
back [to all ation opportunities from getting affects the contractors and
con- said. I know firms are trying to states], because you'd end up with a
bill done will ultimately trump election-year politics. struction crews who
build them. find other clients, but it's not easy a system that doesn't
satisfy the It's the uncertainty of the to turn on a dime and retool.
nation's interests, said Jim Berard, Folks who rely on this future that
makes this such a dif- California has $711 million spokesman for Democrats
on the work have had to downsize ficult position to put people in, worth of
transportation projects House Transportation and Infra- and lay people off
to react said William Millar, president of sitting there, ready for
construc- structure Committee. If you have to this. I know firms are the
American Public Transporta- tion, ready to go ... but there's 10 miles of
bad interstate in Mon- trying to find other clients, t i o n Association.
Should an no money, said Stephen Mallor, tana, it affects the flow of
goods but it's not easy to turn on e n g i n e e r i n g company recruit
deputy director for the Califor- from Chicago and New York. a dime and
retool. from the new crop of engineers nia Transportation Commission.
Those in donee states don't buy that are graduating, or should Part of the
holdup is the state's t h o s e arguments. ACEC Vice JAY SIMSON they hold
off because they don't own budget crisis, but if the Chairman Thomas
Burke, a sen- ACEC/NEW YORK know what their future level of F e d e r a l
Government wasn't ior vice president at Turner Collie work will be? Should
construc- [causing delays] probably some & Braden in Houston, notes that
tion firms be ordering equipment of these projects could have gone his
state's roads are heavily used in anticipation of a big project forward,
Mallor said. by commercial border traffic. s e a s o n , or is it going to
be a The federal delay is compli- A tremendous amount of smaller season
than last year? cated by competing ideas over commerce comes from Mexico
Of 45 states that responded to h o w to divide transportation through
Texas, he said. And it a survey last September by the money with
California, Texas adds tremendous traffic to the American Association of
State a n d other states arguing they Texas interstates. Highway &
Transportation Offi- should get a larger return on the The congressional
holdup cials, 33 reported a congressional gas taxes that their citizens
send reminds some experts of 1997 delay of even six months would to
Washington. the last time a delay in trans- 1 8 E N G I N E E R I N G INC.
J u l y l August 2004
Engineering Inc. - July/August 2004

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