PEORIA, Ill. — Wherever it can be credited for exposure, there is no denying elected officials, government agencies and others are beginning to take notice the United States has a transportation infrastructure problem.

Be it rail, road or river, the crumbling state of transport infrastructure has resulted in challenges ranging from structurally deficient roads and bridges to deteriorating locks and dams. Right now, much is occurring to address these myriad problems.

A common-sense method for expanding the capacity of the interstate highway system involves raising the 80,000-pound semi truck weight limit to around 97,000 pounds with the addition of a sixth axle, according to many ag and trucking associations. Proponents are hoping the recent issuance of technical reports from a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) study on semi weight and size portends future approval of heavier loads.

"We were pleased that many of the (DOT) major findings confirm our research into this issue," said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC), an Iowa-based association comprised of several state soybean organizations.

"One of the ways to expand the capacity of our transportation network is to increase semi weight limits in a responsible manner. Our research shows there would be no negative impact; on the contrary, you would actually have a positive impact on motorist safety, congestion and the roads."

The issuance of the technical reports signals a "major step" toward the completion of its comprehensive study on the issue of truck weight and size, according to DOT. However, most stakeholders are not anticipating any quick action resulting in federal legislation to raise truck weight limits.

"The technical reports apparently don’t do enough," said Scott Sigman, transportation infrastructure lead for the Illinois Soybean Assoc. (ISA). "They aren’t comprehensive enough, and the DOT feels that two years of data collection aren’t sufficient to be making decisions on a national (level). The states are fearful that an unfunded mandate might be coming down on their shoulders."

Steenhoek has been invited to testify during the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s June 24 hearing on "Meeting the Transportation Needs of Rural America" in Washington, D.C. He said he will use his allotted time to underscore the importance of transportation to the success of agriculture and encourage Congress to stop issuing short-term funding extensions for transportation improvements, in favor of a broader approach.

"For the soybean industry, half of what is produced is exported. When your customers are located halfway around the world, it puts a lot more pressure on your roads, bridges and rails," Steenhoek said. "This is a system that is a severe victim of underinvestment. That needs to be remedied."

Congress must become a more reliable and predictable partner in meeting the nation’s surface transportation needs, he said. "Congress needs to provide a more long-term strategy on how they plan to participate in preserving and maintaining our transportation system."

Steenhoek and the STC support a change in the nation’s fuel tax paid by motorists at the pump through indexing the tax to inflation to support future infrastructure improvements. "Farmers need to be leaders and not be passive in this discussion," he added.

As part of ISA’s commitment to encouraging additional infrastructure investment to enable soybean farmers to continue offering the world a sustainable and reliable supply of their product, it has joined Accelerate Illinois, a Chicago-based campaign announced by the Metropolitan Planning Council.

The ISA became the first (and to date, only) agriculture association to join with 33 other partners – including Amtrak, AARP, Union Pacific and others – to form the Accelerate Illinois movement.

"It’s an approach to transportation funding and addressing the investment needs for infrastructure all across the state," Sigman said. "We were invited by Accelerate Illinois to explain how we’ve been leading in transportation research industry and evaluations of infrastructure.

"We decided to collaborate, as we want the urban interests to recognize the rural needs. Likewise, we need to recognize some of the needs in the metropolitan parts of the state."

Addressing infrastructure needs and bringing them to the attention of legislators, elected officials and economic development offices is the goal of Accelerate Illinois, Sigman added. Or as Accelerate Illinois states on its website at www.accelerateillinois.com "(The) message is clear: We need to shore up our transportation system to address the problems that too many people experience on an almost daily basis."

The ISA was also bestowed the America’s Marine Highway Leadership Award last week for its innovation in waterway transportation. The association was recognized by the U.S. Maritime Administration for its collaborative effort in developing a new river freight service between Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans. The ISA’s "container-on-vessel" initiative leverages the use of empty shipping containers on river barges to export soybeans and other ag commodities, according to Sigman.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from the Maritime Administration," he said. "Not only does it present a great opportunity to highlight the importance of the inland waterway system, it speaks to the level of investment and support ISA directors put behind this transportation initiative the last two years."