THE DEBASEMENT OF RURAL AMERICA

Concern is expressed over the federal government's transportation policies and the ways in which they impact on the rural economy. A major realignment of federal-aid highways, the reclassifying of urban streets as federal-aid routes, the abandonment of branchline operations by railroads, and other such decisions have led to the isolation of millions of acres of productive agricultural and mineral resource lands. An encouraging development has been the creation of the Rural Transport Advisory Task Force. This task force's report is a wide-ranging summary of the problems relating to all modes (highway, rail, waterway and air) emphasizing that "improving the transportation system must begin with a comprehensive policy that integrates, as an essential element, agricultural transport policy." The report proposes incentives to increase state funding non-major roads with federal aid targeted on interstate and primary highways. A reduction of the federal-aid highway system mileage, the upgrading of principal land-bridge railroad lines serving ports, modernization of waterway freight handling, and the boosting of truck size and weight limits are advocated. Indiana's highway revenue bill is also discussed.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the 66th Annual Road School, held at Purdue University, March 11-13, 1980.
• Corporate Authors:

  Purdue University

  School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  West Lafayette, IN  United States  47907
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 111-118
• Serial:
  • Engineering Bulletin of Purdue University
  • Publisher: Purdue University

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abandonment; Classification; Economic impacts; Farming; Federal aid highways; Highways; Laws; Minerals; Primary highways; Railroads; Revenues; Rural areas; Size; Size and weight regulations; State government; Transportation policy; Trucks; Water transportation; Weight
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fund allocations; Highway classification
• Old TRIS Terms: Agricultural land
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Finance; Highways; Law; Marine Transportation; Motor Carriers; Policy; Railroads; Society; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00342067
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Series No. 151, HS-033 500
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 28 1981 12:00AM