Higher asphalt costs a strain

Rising crude oil prices are not only hurting drivers at the pump. They will prevent some roads in disrepair from being resurfaced.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation plans to spend between $55 million and $60 million on road overlays in fiscal 2009, up about $10 million past few years. But MDOT chief engineer Harry Lee James said that will cover fewer miles.


“Obviously, with crude oil going up, there’s a fairly close correlation to what a ton of asphalt costs. Five years ago it was $35 to $40 a ton. Now it’s $75 to $80, and I think we’re likely to see $90 to $100 a ton,” James said.

The agency is considering downsizing some road projects, including widening to four lanes sections of Mississippi 25 and 15 in northeast Mississippi.

“It’s just like your personal finances. You have to put off some purchases,” he said.

The Clarion-Ledger