ROAD PLAN on ballot likely, legislator says.

Ingram sees peers thrusting construction say on voters

The Arkansas General Assembly likely will refer a long- term road construction plan to voters, a state lawmaker said Thursday.

State Sen. Keith Ingram, D- West Memphis, also said he would prefer that he and his colleagues vote on the plan themselves.

“Sometimes I think we shirk our duties when we don’t vote on things people send us here for,” he said. “But it’s evident to me that the mood of this Legislature is that they are going to probably submit something for an overall long- term plan for the voters to approve. That’s my guess. I am sort of resigned to that, but we’ve got to do something.”

Ingram, who is vice chairman of the Senate Transportation, Technology and Legislative Affairs Committee, made the remarks after a Highway Commission meeting held before lawmakers at the state Capitol in which Scott Bennett, the director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, painted a dire picture of short- term highway finances at both the state and federal levels.

Of concern is the ability for the department to match the extra federal money it is due this year. The department is due $ 200 million in new federal money but only if it matches it with state money. Road projects using federal money typically can use only 80 percent federal money, with state money furnishing the remaining 20 percent.

Legislation enacted in a special session last year relies largely on the agency receiving a share of the generalrevenue surplus to help raise the $ 50 million annually the department would need for its match.

Under the legislation, the department would receive 25 percent of the surplus. Over the past 10 years, 25 percent of the surplus has averaged about $ 48 million. But unless state revenue picks up appreciably, many doubt the state will end its fiscal year on June 30 with a nearly $ 200 million surplus.

“I predicted this,” Ingram said, referring to a floor speech he made opposing the proposal. “This was a smoke- and- mirrors deal. If we have a surplus, it’s going to be very, very small.”

State fiscal officials have cautioned that it is too early to say how large the generalrevenue surplus is going to be.

At the same time, the department is facing another round of uncertainty regarding federal funding. Congress hasn’t passed an appropriation for transportation and, instead, is relying on a con-

tinuing resolution it adopted that keep appropriations at the previous year’s levels and expires in the spring.

If both matters remain unresolved, Bennett told the commission, the department would have to begin withdrawing projects from the bid- lettings in April.

Ingram said he doesn’t know what form the longterm road plan would take, but he called a proposal unveiled earlier this month by the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation a “good blueprint.”

The foundation, representing a coalition of construction, trucking and

economic development interests, has proposed making permanent a temporary statewide sales tax voters approved in 2012. In place through 2023, its proceeds are helping finance a $ 1.8 billion road construction program focusing on regionally significant projects.

The foundation, which developed the proposal at the urging of Gov. Asa Hutchinson, said a public opinion survey it commissioned shows support for the initiative. No bill has been filed yet.

During the meeting, the commission agreed to shed nearly 40 miles from the state highway system under four separate partnering agreements with cities and counties.

The agreements are a way for the department to stretch its construction dollars by making road improvements in exchange for local jurisdictions taking over maintenance of sections of state highways. In some instances, local jurisdictions also commit money to the projects.

But with more than 16,000 miles of highways to maintain, the agreements make a small dent in the system and won’t help with the shortterm problems that state highway officials say the agency faces.

The partnering agreements included removing 19.8 miles of state highways from the system in Calhoun County in exchange for the department paying $ 2 million to relocate the infrastructure

of small water systems in the right of way of a project to widen U. S. 167.

Water systems and other utilities typically have to remove their lines at their own cost if they are in the way of a project. But the two water systems in Calhoun County don’t have the money to do so. Instead, the county agreed to take over maintenance of sections of Arkansas 172, Arkansas 205 and Arkansas 274 in exchange for the department to bear the cost to relocate the waterlines.

Pine Bluff, meanwhile, agreed to take over maintenance of a nearly 10- mile section of Arkansas 190 between Interstate 530 and U. S. 65 in exchange for the department agreeing to rebuild parts and

overlay parts of a section of the highway totaling 2.5 miles.

Bentonville and Rogers agreed to contribute a total of $ 3 million to construct a new interchange at Interstate 49 and U. S. 71B. The cities also agreed to take over maintenance of a busy section of U. S. 71B between U. S. 71 and Arkansas 94.

Fayetteville agreed to take over a 4.19- mile section of Arkansas 112 that includes a section known as North Razorback Road, which runs

past Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the venue for the University of Arkansas football team.

The city also will contribute nearly $ 3.6 million for a project to improve the highway between Leroy Pond Road and Interstate 49.