Page 36 - ATR 2 2019 digital

Halfway Down the Road

Highway plan passes; next, the voters have their say

By Steve Brawner

Contributing Writer

Lawmakers this year passed what
Gov. Asa Hutchinson called “the larg-
est highway plan in the state’s history,”
but at this point, two-thirds of it is still
just a plan. Now it’s up to highway
advocates and the voters to turn it into
a reality.
If fully enacted, the plan’s two
parts will raise $300 million annually
for state highways and $114 million for
cities and counties.
The one-third that’s already signed
into law as Act 416 will raise $95 mil- cent sales tax that currently funds the are in good condition. ARDOT has not
lion annually for highway maintenance Connecting Arkansas Program. The tax seen a permanent funding increase
and $13 million each for cities and is set to expire in 2023. A permanent since fuel taxes last were raised in 1999.
counties. extension would raise $205 million Officials have said the state has a $4.8
The largest mechanism will be annually for highways and $44 million billion funding shortfall over the next
wholesale tax increases that will add 6 each for cities and counties. 10 years, which was confirmed by a
cents to the cost of a gallon of diesel state legislative audit that found the
fuel and 3 cents per gallon of gasoline. RIGHT AMOUNT FOR A state needed to invest an additional
Together, those would raise $58 million ‘PERMANENT AND SUSTAINABLE $478 million annually in its highway
a year for highways. The taxes could SOLUTION’ network.
increase by up to one-tenth of one-cent Announcing the program Feb. 11, “I have said many times over …
per year. Hutchinson said it would allow the state the last few years, that if something’s
At least $35 million would be raised to maintain its interstates, improve its not done to give us a permanent and
for highways from casino revenues and/ most-traveled roads, and replace every sustainable source of revenue for high-
or, if necessary, other general revenues. structurally deficient bridge. He said it way investments, then my job becomes
That amount could increase if casino was the “top dollar amount that in my to manage the decline of the highway
revenues are higher than expected. judgment the people of Arkansas can system, and that’s what we’ve been hav-
Voters passed a constitutional amend- afford.” ing to do over the last several years,” he
ment in November allowing four casi- Arkansas Department of said.
nos to operate in Arkansas. The act also Transportation Director Scott Bennett Public interest in highway improve-
imposes additional fees on hybrid and told lawmakers Feb. 27 that the package ments has been building. Hutchinson
electric vehicles. would fund maintenance on 10,000 of said in announcing the plan Feb. 11
The two-thirds that’s not fin- the state’s 16,000 highway miles, plus that he had “never seen the public in
ished would require voters in 2020 to fund capital improvements. He said a greater mood for a highway plan —
permanently extend the 10-year half- only 18 percent of the state’s highways 

36 Issue 2 2019 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT