Uncertainty over reauthorization of a federal transportation bill could curtail future concrete consumption, said attendees at the World of Concrete show held last month in Las Vegas. A protracted wait time for a new bill creates long-term budgeting uncertainty for municipalities that could result in smaller, less ambitious projects.
“We’re hearing that we could be living on extensions for two years,” said Bill Davenport, American Concrete Pavement Association’s vice president of communications. “We’re concerned that the faltering economy could lead to more patchwork projects and fewer ambitious, large-scale highway undertakings.”