In yet another instance of a state department of transportation being hobbled by a lack of congressional fortitude, Scott Bennett, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), stated in a news release, that if congressional authorization for transportation funding expires May 31 without a new deal, the state will be forced to shut down work on 131 federally funded road and bridge construction projects worth $1.5 billion. This statement came one day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx warned state transportation directors that the Federal Highway Administration would begin furloughing employees and cease processing state requests for reimbursements on federal-aid projects if Congress were unable to reach a deal by the end of this month.
“We knew this would happen if Congress did not take appropriate action in time,” Bennett said in the release. “Although we have been preparing for reductions or delays in Federal-aid reimbursements, we now have to consider the impacts of a complete FHWA shut-down.”
The AHTD has already removed 70 projects worth an estimated $282 million from its 2015 bid-letting schedule against having enough available state funds to pay for existing work if federal reimbursements were cut or delayed. Additionally, the agency last week cut $120 million worth of projects from its June letting. “This places all of our Federal-aid projects, including those currently under construction, at risk,” Bennett said. “Congress must act now or work in many construction zones across the Country will come to a complete stop.”
Among the projects either already shut down or on the chopping block are the replacement of the White River bridge on I-40 in Prairie County, a $125 million makeover of the I-430/I-630 interchange and a $10 million bridge on West Roosevelt Road near the State Fairgrounds in Little Rock.
For all intents and purpose, Congress has, as body, voiced its desire for a new transportation funding bill, but has been unable to reach an agreement on how to pay for it, the main sticking point being federal gas taxes, which fund the U.S. highway trust fund, bringing in ~ $34 billion annually. However, the federal government spends ~ $50 billion per year on transportation projects. This disparity will result in either a solution for the difference or a drastic reduction in the number of federally funded construction projects.
Of late, many sources have reported that discussions have reach a point of desperation by which long-term goals have been swept from the table in deference to short-term agreement options to avoid a complete dry-up of monies. This, in spite of what seems to be a consensus among leaders that only a long-term plan can really get the job done.
