Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) Oct. 21 approved a $1.9 billion infrastructure bond, the largest public works package in state history. The revenue will build roads and bridges, as well as wastewater treatment infrastructure, parks and trails. The state legislature passed the bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. Read More>>

Washington state Supreme Court Oct. 13 decided that a 2019 referendum was unconstitutional due to its misleading ballot language. Initiative I-976 repealed state and local authority to impose certain vehicle taxes and fees and limited license fees. Washington state law requires that ballot descriptions be limited to a single subject. Read More>>

Rhode Island will not increase it’s gas tax next year. The state has an automatic variable-rate formula that raises the gas tax when inflation increases. The Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation, only increased 1.4 percent this year, which is not significant enough to affect the state gas tax rate. Read More>>

The Texas Department of Transportation is exploring the option of using managed lanes instead of toll roads in metropolitan areas to mitigate congestion challenges. Read More>>

States Benefitting from Transportation Funding Increases

Alabama continues to make progress on repaving and road improvement projects due to revenue generated by the state’s 2019 transportation funding legislation. Read More>>

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and the state transportation department announced that the expected Nov. 1 early completion of the I-255 Rehabilitation Project will save $14 million. The project, part of the 2019 transportation funding plan, saved time by closing the work zone to all traffic. Read More>>

The California Transportation Commission approved $830 million for highway and rail projects, with $637 million derived from the 2017 increase of state motor fuel and vehicle registration fees. Read More>>

Covid-19 Impacts Continue

A Kentucky state legislative committee Oct. 20 said transportation revenues have dropped by $74.6 million this year, largely due to the impact of Covid-19 on funding sources. Read More>>

Oregon reports it received $27 million less in state gas tax revenue from January to August than in the same time period in 2019. Read More>>