By Lital Shair, Market Research Associate with ARTBA
Uncertainty surrounding the future of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) continues to have ripple effects on state transportation planning. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on June 26 became the 23rd state to express uncertainty about the future of major projects if Congress does not stabilize highway funding before the current surface transportation bill expires October 1.
FDOT has already begun prioritizing funding needs, with a focus on safety and preservation projects. “The other projects that we’re working on or that we’re planning toward, we may have to start cutting back on those,” said FDOT Public Information Officer Ron Tittle.
Twenty two other states have publicly expressed concern about the HTF situation and how it will impact their future activities, according to ARTBA research, including Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming and Arkansas—which has already halted work on 10 projects valued at $60 million. According to analysis of federal data, federal funds provide on average 39 percent of funding for annual Florida highway and bridge project capital outlays.