Report: Voters support transportation investments
Preliminary Nov. 8 election results show voters in 22 states approved ballot measures that will provide $201 billion in funding extensions and new revenue for state and local transportation projects, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) reports.
In addition, an analysis by ARTBA’s Transportation Investment Advocacy Center says 69 percent of the 280 transportation funding ballot measures up for vote across the nation were approved.
According to ARTBA, California will see the biggest impact in transportation due to the votes. Voters in California approved 15 of 26 transportation ballot measures worth $133 billion, including a 1-cent sales tax in Los Angeles that will provide $120 billion over 40 years for local road, bridge and transit projects.
Other states, including Georgia, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington, will see significant changes. Voters in Illinois and New Jersey passed transportation “lockbox” measures to prohibit state lawmakers from diverting transportation user fee revenue to non-transportation uses. In Maine, voters approved a statewide transportation bond issue for $100 million and in Rhode Island, voters approved $70 million in bonds for port investment.
In addition, Washington voters approved a 25-year, $54 billion revenue package that will support expanding Sound Transit light rail and bus routes. Georgia voters approved local sales tax increases that will raise nearly $4 billion for road and transit projects in the metropolitan Atlanta area, ARTBA adds.
The report also says that, overall, voters approved 74 percent of transportation ballot initiatives in 2016, which is in line with the 10-year average rate of 74 percent. In the last two presidential elections, voters approved 77 percent (2012) and 76 percent (2008) of transportation funding measures, the report says.
View the complete report and an interactive map showing the state-by-state results here.
About the Author: Allison Kral
Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.Subscribe to Pit & Quarry
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to Pit & Quarry to receive more articles just like it.
