Dive Brief:
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The Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved a six-year, $18.6 billion improvement program that will fund more than 3,600 state transportation projects, according to Equipment World.
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The program will begin on July 1 and span categories like maintenance ($1.6 billion), public-private partnerships ($3.9 billion) and the state's Smart Scale program ($2.1 billion).
- Of the funds, $15.2 billion will go toward highway construction, $3.4 billion for rail and public transportation and $2.6 billion for public transportation projects, with $817 million for rail initiatives.
Dive Insight:
Virginia joins other states like California that have recently committed to massive funding programs to upgrade or repair their state's existing transportation infrastructure. This year, California lawmakers passed a $52 billion funding program to repair state highways, bridges and other public assets.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, about 50% of California roads are in poor condition, and the state itself estimates that it has a $130 billion backlog of infrastructure repairs. The huge state initiative will be helped along by a 12-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase, along with a new annual vehicle license fee.
Indiana also committed to updating and maintaining its highway infrastructure system, enacting a seven-year, $5 billion program. Like California's initiative, Indiana's program will be funded by a gas-tax increase — 10 cents per gallon the first year and another 1 cent-per-year increase for seven years — in addition to other motorist fees. State officials said they would also look to increase toll revenue from of out-of-state drivers.
In March, the Texas Transportation Commission announced that it had authorized an $8.9 billion spend to complete 230 state highway projects, including a $3 billion overhaul of Interstate 45 around Houston.
According to an ASCE report earlier this year, the cost of U.S. infrastructure needs through 2025 is $4.6 trillion, which is $1 trillion more than the last ASCE report in 2013. In the report, the association also gave the U.S. an overall infrastructure grade of "D+." Across 16 infrastructure categories, the U.S. scored highest in rail ("B"), although most infrastructure elements scored below the "C" range.