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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, October 8, 2006
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St. Louis Ranks in the Top Ten Urban Areas
With the Roughest Pavements
ST. LOUIS, (BUSINESS WIRE), October 8, 2006 - In a recent report, TRIP, a national transportation research group, found that among large urban regions (500,000+ population), the areas with the greatest share of major roads and highways with pavements in poor condition are: San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, Kansas City, New Orleans (pre-Katrina), San Diego, Sacramento, St. Louis, Omaha and New York City.
TRIP found that a quarter of the nation's major metropolitan roads - interstates, freeways and other critical local routes - have pavements in poor condition, resulting in rough rides. By contrast, in California cities on the top 10 list, one-half to two-thirds of pavements are rated poor.
These poor roads create additional vehicle operating costs (accelerated vehicle deterioration, additional maintenance needs and increased fuel consumption). In California's biggest urban areas, poor roads cost the average motorist more than $600 a year, and approximately $700 a year in the San Jose and Los Angeles areas. That compares with a $383 national average.
Five California urban areas ranked in the top six costliest: San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco-Oakland, Kansas City, San Diego, Sacramento, New Orleans (pre-Katrina), Oklahoma City, Omaha and St. Louis.
According to the TRIP report, the continuing increase in urban traffic is putting significant wear and tear on the nation's urban roads. Overall travel on urban roads increased by 38 percent from 1990 to 2004; urban travel by large commercial trucks grew at an even faster rate, increasing by 51 percent from 1990 to 2004. Large trucks place significant stress on road surfaces. Overall vehicle travel is expected to increase by approximately 33 percent by the year 2020 and the level of heavy truck travel nationally is projected to increase by approximately 39 percent by 2020.
With current funding, TRIP says pavement conditions are likely to worsen. A U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) report to Congress indicates that through 2022 the nation will fall short of the cost of maintaining current urban pavement conditions by $76 billion and will fall short of making significant repairs by $138 billion. Maintaining urban roads in their current condition would require increasing current funding for road repairs by 40 percent and it would take a 73 percent increase to significantly improve urban pavement conditions.
City of St. Louis Makes Progress In Fight Against Lead Poisoning of Children
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), October 8, 2006 - Mayor Francis G. Slay reported Wednesday that the City of St. Louis is making progress towards his goal of ending lead poisoning of children by 2010.
At a home made lead safe as part of the City's program, the mayor issued a progress report as part of the annual Lead Safe Kids and Homes Week. "Lead paint can do incredible damage to children. High lead levels can cause problems with the brain, kidneys, and bone marrow. It can rob children of their future," said Mayor Slay. "In the past, the City waited until children got sick to do something. Now, we are being proactive."
Through education and outreach, the City is increasing awareness of what lead paint exposure can do to children. Because of that, more families are having their homes inspected. As a result, more abatements are performed before children are poisoned. That, in turn, has resulted in a smaller rate of elevated blood levels.
The percentage of children testing above ten (10) micrograms per deciliter (ug/dl) for elevated blood levels is trending down - 13.6 % in 2003 to 7.7 % so far in 2006. Home lead inspections have increased from 405 in 2003 to more than 900 projected for 2006.
The City is also more aggressively prosecuting property owners with lead paint violations. In 2003, there were fewer than 80 court referrals compared to 125 in 2005. The total number of lead contaminated homes remediated has increased from 329 in 2003 to 1212 in 2005.
The City is focused on high-risk neighborhoods. In 2004 and 2005, 61% of all the remediations performed by lead paint contractors hired by the City and 66% of remediations performed by City crews themselves were done in the City's 10 wards with the highest lead screening prevalence rates in children under six years old.
The Lead Safe St. Louis Team has also targeted the City's high-risk ZIP codes through an aggressive media campaign (TV, radio, buses, bus shelter and billboard ads) promoting the message of getting children tested and that the City can offer assistance in home remediation.
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