STREAK ENDS
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First United hosts 29th annual Thanksgiving dinner, A2
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2014
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TRANSPORTATION
THE HIGH COST OF POOR ROADS Study shows one in five jobs is reliant on, or transportation related DEVAN PATEL The World
SOUTH COAST — On the heels of last month’s McCullough Bridge closure that showed how vulnerable our transportation system is, findings from two new Oregon Department of Transportation studies paint an even more dire picture if the state’s transportation infrastructure were to deteriorate. “Rough Roads Ahead: The Cost of Poor Highway Conditions to Oregon’s Economy“ and the “Oregon Highways Seismic Plus Report“ both tackle the economic implications of poor state highways and bridges, emphasizing the need for major investment. The road study concluded that unless pavement and bridge conditions are improved, the state could see a loss of $94 billion in cumulative gross domestic product by 2035, in addition to the loss of 100,000 future jobs as a result of increased transportation costs. The department estimates two-thirds of state bridges will need rehabilitation within 20 years. As bridges deteriorate, they see a decrease in usage as they need greater weight restrictions. The greater weight restrictions impact transportation as the need for truck detours increases, increasing road congestion
ABOVE: The historic McCullough Bridge is a vital connection for the Bay Area, with thousands of vehicles moving across it every day. Alysha Beck, The World through longer commute times or creating a need for more trucks because of the smaller load capacities. Because of these increased costs, the department fears Oregon firms will be unable to compete with their global competitors, forcing businesses to move elsewhere. The problem is not new. Previous studies also have shown just how important transportation infrastructure is to the economy. In 2005, the Economic Development Research Group analyzed the costs of congestion to the Portland economy and found Oregon businesses suffering competitive disadvantages because of transportation congestion. Of those affected, Intel had to move up its departure times two hours while Sysco Foods opened up a regional distribution center in Spokane because it was more time efficient to serve the region due to congestion elsewhere. See Roads, A8
Importance of national transportation infrastructure Much like the state, the national economy is very much reliant on a dependable transportation infrastructure. Illustrating the harmful effects of traffic congestion, The National Economic Council’s report, “An Economic Analysis of Transportation Infrastructure Investment,” reported Americans spend 5.5 billion hours in traffic each year, costing more than $120 billion in added fuel and opportunity costs. Additionally, businesses pay $27 billion per year in extra freight transportation costs, increasing shipping delays and raising product costs. Besides monetary costs, there have been more than 33,000 traffic fatalities, of which road conditions significantly factored in one-third. Rural communities are more susceptible to these types of tragedies because transportation authorities place a higher impetus on improving urban areas. In the past decade, the U.S has fallen from 7th to 18th in overall quality of roads according to the World Economic Forum rankings, with countries like Estonia, Greece, Hungary and Slovenia surging ahead.
Crab season set to start
Black Friday
Fishermen and processors set a starting price and expect to start hauling crab on Monday TIM NOVOTNY The World
Police Log . . . . . . . A2 What’s Up . . . . . . .Go! South Coast . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . A4
RELATED STORY: Black Friday seemed a little less crazy this year. Whether that’s good news for retailers remains to be seen. Page A8
Sports . . . . . . . . . . .B1 Puzzles . . . . . . . . . C5 Comics . . . . . . . . . C5 Classifieds . . . . . . C6
DEATHS
INSIDE
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William Honer III, Coos Bay Karen Shelton, Myrtle Point Norma Norris, Coos Bay Julia Rich, North Bend
Ted Kinder, North Bend Mary Winter, Lakeside
Obituaries | A5
FORECAST
Amanda Loman, The World
David Wood, a sales associate at JCPenney in Pony Village Mall, hands Tracy Hultin, Bandon, her purchases at 6:30am on Friday morning. Shoppers came out early to scoop up deals during local Black Friday sales.
COOS BAY — Barring any last-minute fickle weather, the Oregon Dungeness commercial crab fishing season will start on time this year. “It’s been delayed the last two years, but this year we’ve got a Dec. 1 opener,” Hugh Link said on Wednesday. L ink, the executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, said the opening is set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and is based, up and down the coast, on the percentage of fill rate of the crab. This year, he said, the percentage was above average, to say the least. “ The testing, not only in Oregon but northern California and southern Washington, showed that the crab are extremely full and ready for harvest,” he said. “We haven’t seen fill percentage
Lou Sennick, The World
Ready for some butter, a Dungeness crab is off loaded from the fishing boat Loraine C in Charleston last year.
rates in crab like this in my 11 years that I’ve been doing this.” B ut a prompt start of the season depends on three things. The weather must make for safe conditions, the crab must be sufficiently filled with meat, and a price must be set between fishermen and processors. It is that last part of the equation that most often trips up the opening of the season. This year, however, that piece of the puzzle fell into place right away. “Typically we set aside two days for See Crab, A8
Chance of rain 48/43 Weather | A8