A proposed Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC) air quality plan could jeopardize motorist and highway worker safety and increase unemployment, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) said.

The agency is looking for ways to meet overall federal air quality standards for the state. It can suggest emission reductions from any source. As part of its plan, the TNRCC is proposing to ban the use of heavy construction equipment on road improvement projects in the state between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. during the five-month period June through October. The ban would go into effect June 1.

The agency has overestimated the emission reductions that can be obtained by shutting down heavy construction equipment, ARTBA said in comments filed with the TNRCC. And forcing more highway work to occur during night hours, the association said, will compromise safety, citing motorist and worker fatigue, poorer visibility and greater drunk and drugged driving exposure.

“Air quality is not the only public health issue facing Texans,” ARTBA President Pete Ruane said. “The TNRCC needs to take a broader view and look at other alternatives. Road improvements also provide public health benefits. The fact is more Americans die in traffic accidents caused by poor road conditions and alignments each year than die of asthma and bronchitis combined. And traffic accidents are the leading cause of death of Americans 6 to 28 years of age.”

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