Tag: transportation funding: Page 33

Roadbuilding

Study finds more than 21% of Indiana’s bridges are deficient

A study has found that 21.5 percent of Indiana’s bridges are considered deficient. ABC 6 in Indianapolis reported in addition to 4,103 of the state’s bridges being deficient, 11.5 percent were considered functionally obsolete. Ten percent are structurally deficient. The state’s General Assembly sent $200 million to for transportation construction in the budget, but money from […]

June 1, 2015

Roadbuilding

Rhode Island proposes $1.1 billion transportation bill that would create 12,000 jobs, impose tax on trucking

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is proposing a long-term budget amendment that would increase spending on roads, bridges, and mass transit projects by $1.1 billion over the next 9 years. The proposal, titled RhodeWorks, would increase the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s infrastructure investment from $3.7 billion to $4.8 billion through 2024. “While deteriorating roads and bridges […]

May 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

Analysis rates structurally deficient bridges by Congressional district

Transit Labs, a transportation system analysis firm, has ranked bridge conditions across the U.S. by congressional district, the results of which may provide motivation for establishing long-term transportation funding legislation. The analysis looks at the volume of structural deficient bridges, and found only five districts had no bridges in this condition. These include Alan Grayson (D-Florida—District […]

May 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

Vermont governor signs $616 million transportation bill

Just as the federal government patches the national transportation fund, Vermont’s governor signed into law a bill to send hundreds of millions to transportation funding. The Vermont Business Journal reported Gov. Peter Shumlin had the backdrop of a new bridge under construction as he signed into law the $616 million 2016 Transportation Bill. “With Federal support […]

May 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

Federal grant to provide $2 million to repair roads damaged by Joplin tornado reconstruction

A grant of $2 million from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will be used to repair roads in Duquesne, a small Missouri community that was struck by the EF-5 tornado that also decimated nearby Joplin in May 2011. Heavy equipment and heavy loads passing through Duquesne damaged the city’s roads during debris removal following […]

May 29, 2015

Roadbuilding

Top FHWA official says unfinished Spokane project proves need for long-term highway bill

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s acting administrator toured the incomplete North Spokane Corridor last week and said the half-built project shows why the federal government needs to act on long-term transportation funding. After touring the NSC, Gergory Nadeau said the project “exemplifies exactly what has been happening all over the country.” About half of the […]

May 28, 2015

Roadbuilding

Cedar Rapids launches 10-year, $180 million paving improvement program

In yet another example of how transportation project funding is becoming more localized, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recently released a 10-year plan for road improvements. The plan will cost $180 million and will be funded by a 1-cent local option sales tax that began collecting in July last year. Dubbed “Paving for Progress”, the plan will […]

May 28, 2015

Roadbuilding

South Carolina eyes using $400 million budget surplus for transportation projects

An expected $400 million budget surplus in South Carolina coffers, set to be certified later this week, presents an opportunity to fund other drained programs, such as transportation projects, rather than increase gas taxes. According to a report by The Post and Courier, Gov. Nikki Haley is asking legislators to use their best judgment in determining […]

May 28, 2015

Roadbuilding

Bill would support Highway Trust Fund by adjusting Obamacare Medicaid match rates

A bill filed by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas), would apply an estimated $15 billion each year to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) by adjusting the percentage of Medicaid match funds required by the Affordable Care Act. The Prioritizing American Roads and Jobs Act of 2015 bill would apply half the “savings” to the HTF, with the other […]

May 27, 2015

Roadbuilding

Texas lawmakers cross the aisle on plan to raise the state’s road budget by $3 billion

The Texas House of Representatives Transportation chairman and his counterpart in the state’s Senate have reached a deal to inject the transportation budget with $3 billion more each year. The Dallas Morning News reports Rep. Joe Picket (D-El Paso) and Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) announced May 26 that they’d agreed upon a plan to fund […]

May 27, 2015

Roadbuilding

Senate passes transportation funding patch

Over the weekend, the Senate passed a patch to extend transportation funding through July. In a Saturday voice vote just before the Senate broke for the Memorial Day holiday, Senators approved the patch to extend the Highway Trust Fund for two months, according to a report from The Hill. The Senate vote follows the passage of […]

May 26, 2015

Roadbuilding

Grass tax instead of gas tax for road funding? Michigan lawmaker calls to legalize “pot for potholes”

A lawmaker in Michigan thinks that marijuana could provide some relief for the state’s ailing roads. Rep. Brandon Dillon (D-Grand Rapids) wrote in an op-ed on MLive.com that Michigan voters have been adamant about not going deeper into their own pockets for funding on some issues—voters shot down a proposal to raise taxes for transportation […]

May 25, 2015