Officials in 14 states have said that their transportation programs will be impacted if Congress does not take action soon to fix the ailing Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Four of those states have already canceled or delayed more than $868 million in transportation improvement projects because of the continued uncertainty. An additional $1.8 billion in projects is at risk if federal funding is disrupted.
On average, the HTF is the source of 52 percent of all highway and bridge capital investments made annually by state governments. Funding for the federal highway and transit program expires on May 31 unless Congress acts, and the U.S. Department of Transportation says it will need to begin slowing down reimbursements to state DOTs in July if additional trust fund revenue is not generated. The HTF has suffered five revenue shortfalls between 2008 and 2014, and the next cash crisis is expected to occur in summer 2015.
So far this year, four states—Ark., Ga., Tenn. and Wyo.—have shelved $868.4 million in projects due to the uncertainty over federal funds.
Ten additional states—Colo., Conn., Miss., Mont., Neb., Nev., Pa., Utah, Vt., and W.Va.—have expressed concern over the feasibility of future transportation infrastructure projects. State DOT officials estimate that over $1.8 billion is at risk if Congress does not act before May 31. ARTBA expects more states will make similar announcements as the deadline nears.
Last year, before a last-ditch effort by members of Congress led to an extension of MAP-21, DOT officials in 35 states publicly stated that they would be impacted by the precarious HTF situation, and nine states retracted or delayed projects totaling over $366 million.
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