ACP Pubs

Christina Fisher

VA, SC DOT Funding Issues
April 17, 2008

Downsized Six-Year Plan Hearings Kick Off April 16

The Commonwealth of Virginia will host six public hearings across the state in April and May to receive public input on a scaled down program for highway and transit improvements. Hearings will be held at the following locations. For a list of locations click here.

Six-year transportation revenue projections are down $1.1 billion from a year ago. These revenue shortfalls will result in a 44-percent reduction in funding for primary, secondary and urban highway construction, and a 10-percent reduction in transit allocations.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board has had to scale back the program. “We continue our focus on safety and projects in the pipeline to make the most of the funds we have available,” said Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer. “Our primary and local roads will take the hardest hit because they are funded last and with state dollars,” he added. Interstate highway construction projects, funded primarily by federal funds, are not significantly affected by these reductions in state funds.

Lists of specific projects and changes from the current plan will be available at each public hearing and on VDOT’s website at VDOT Projects.

SC House Members Support DOT Funding
          Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell has said that the House of Representatives is ready to tackle the issue of maintenance of the state’s roads and bridges as the sixth point in a seven-point agenda for this legislative year.

          On a recent edition of SCETV’s “This Week in the House,” Harrell said House Bill 4549 is now on the House calendar. H.4549 would phase in revenue from the existing sales tax on vehicles to the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank to fund new projects, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) for the purpose of maintaining roads and bridges that receive no federal aid. Approximately 27,000 miles of the state’s 42,000 mile highway system do not qualify for federal funds.

          Harrell said this plan is better than raising the state gas tax or eliminating the sales tax exemption on fuel. “This measure diverts an existing revenue stream into the maintenance of our highways without raising taxes and putting an additional burden on our taxpayers,” said Harrell.

          House District 98 Representative Annette Young also appearing on “This Week in the House” said that the SCDOT Restructuring Act passed last year is working to make the agency more accountable and credited Transportation Secretary H.B. “Buck” Limehouse Jr. for turning SCDOT around. Young pointed to a recent State of SCDOT report that Limehouse made to a legislative committee that showed he had reduced costs and cut waste for a present total of $18 million. Young said that Limehouse has clearly made SCDOT more accountable, and the time is right for the funding provided in H.4549.

          Speaker Harrell pointed to Secretary Limehouse’s moves to eliminate Washington lobbyists, increased use of less expensive inmate labor and limiting travel by SCDOT staff as some of the savings that have taken place at the agency.

Details concerning additional funds for SCDOT proposed in H.4549 can be found here.

Posted by Christina Fisher on April 17, 2008 | Comments (0)