Issue 1: Critical to Arkansas business

The economic challenges we have faced in 2020 have taught us lessons we should think about and learn from as we look to a different kind of future. If one thing is clear it is that any definition of “normal” is changing daily. The business world has shifted, and while good roads and transportation systems have always been important, the way we transport goods is now more critical than ever to the health of our economy, and the ability of Arkansas families to get the necessities of life.

The funding mechanism for a third of all highway and road projects in the state has been in place since 2012, when 58% of Arkansas voters agreed with the investment in the future of the state for a superior and safe road system. That funding, now in the form of a constitutional amendment, is back on the ballot Nov. 3. As your secretary of commerce, let me tell you why a vote for the amendment means a better future for all of us.

First, this system is working. Counties and cities across the state derive one-third of their total road funding from this source. And much of it is used to match federal funding, which multiplies and magnifies our ability to build. Think of all of the great roads built in the past eight years, across the state, and through every county. If this funding is lost, it would be catastrophic to the effort to maintain and build new roads in all Arkansas counties and regions.

As we rebuild our economy and compete for existing industry expansion and new projects, the quality and safety of our roads is at the top of the list of nearly all who are considering creating more jobs here. Transporting goods to market is clearly the most important aspect of manufacturing, and all companies consider this a competitive component of the selection process. We have made great strides in the past eight years, but we now must maintain

what we have built, as well as plan for new projects.

In the economic development world, it’s often the numbers that best tell any story. Trucks carry $226 billion in goods shipped to and from sites in Arkansas every year. By 2045 the value of that freight is expected to increase by 90%. Road construction work in Arkansas creates 35,000 jobs and pushes $176 million dollars annually into local economies.

Pick any major industry in Arkansas and the need for good roads is inescapable. Our farms require trucks for every aspect of production. Our thriving poultry industry that creates tens of thousands of jobs has hundreds of trucks moving product from farm to production facility to stores. Trucks, and the roads they drive on, are critical to economic well-being and future of the state we love.

We can get everything else right in the economic development competitions, but without continued, consistent, highway funding, we will start from a more challenging position. Make no mistake that when our economic development teams talk to companies thinking of bringing their people and jobs here, the quality and location of good roads is always part of the early discussions.

For years now most of us have been shopping online, and the pandemic will only increase the need for an infrastructure that can deliver to your doorstep whether you live in an urban area or a small farm town. People are spending more online and some delivery times are taking longer now than they were six months ago. Arkansas must continue to fund long-term solutions if we are to keep up with the rapidly changing shopping and delivery needs of millions of families.

Food security, and supply chains, become national security issues when threatened. And the quality of our roads is paramount. Our recent crisis has put a spotlight on the heroes of the road, those men and women who persevere day and night to get food and necessities to our stores and markets, and doorsteps.

Transportation infrastructure planning and execution needs will only increase over the next fifty years. A vote for this much-needed extension on Nov. 3 will help provide that long-term solution needed to for every aspect of our local, regional, national, and international commerce. Whether across town, or across the world, the first step on the long road to market is always just outside the gates of Arkansas production facilities, and everyone must do their part to keep the wheels turning.

We have established how important good, safe roads are to every part of our lives. And we’ve also established how crucial this constitutional amendment is to our future, with fully a third of all road funding for counties in Arkansas at stake. Failure is not an option.

I am proud of the Arkansas Good Roads Foundation members who have worked tirelessly over the years to design, build, and fund roads. Good Roads members also make the products and drive the trucks that keep us safe.

Please share this with everyone you know, because this is as important as any issue we will consider this year. We need to work together to put a funding system in place to give us quality roads for decades to come. It is good for business in so many ways.