Interstate Highway Concrete Birthday Cake Donated to Federal Highway Administration

This cake recipe calls for two parts flour, one part milk and a little over two decades of neglect.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System, advocates presented the Federal Highway Administration with a cracked concrete “birthday cake” topped with six flares to call on Congress to act to increase infrastructure funding .

“The Interstate Highway System is the most important link we have uniting not only states but regions of the state,” said Denise Richardson, executive director of the General Contractors Association, which delivered the painted foam cake. and carved. “And it was allowed to deteriorate because, since 1993, Congress has not increased the tax on gasoline.”

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Richardson was joined by AAA and several other business associations for the anniversary rally outside the administration office in downtown – all calling on New York’s representatives in the House and Senate to increase the tax federal gasoline, currently 18.4 cents per gallon.

“Most of our 56 million members recognize the importance of our system – the horrible freeways, roads and bridges – we can’t stick our heads in the sand and avoid the problem, like they are in Washington.” said John Corlett, AAA director of government relations for New York.

The GCA noted that 25% of all New York Interstate Highway Bridges were built between 1965 and 1969 and are approaching their 50-year life expectancy. But because politicians on both sides of the aisle have hesitated to restructure the gasoline tax, more and more roads are falling apart. AAA members report 200,000 flat tire calls in the state each year, mostly from drivers hitting potholes, according to Corlett.

“This is a serious national security and investment issue,” Richardson said.