Agricultural News
Governor Signs Transportation Bills to Repair and Replace Crumbling Bridges
Tue, 05 Jun 2012 09:57:49 CDT
Governor Mary Fallin signed into law two measures that will provide record funding for infrastructure and significantly reduce the number of bridges needing repair or replacement in Oklahoma.
"Today's bill signing keeps us on track to repair and replace all structurally deficient bridges across Oklahoma by the end of the decade," said T.W. Shannon, a Lawton Republican who chairs the House Transportation Committee. "This legislation will not only keep our families safe, it will also improve the infrastructure that so many businesses both in and out of Oklahoma rely on to ship goods and services. I am very thankful that my colleagues in the legislature and Gov. Fallin recognize how vital our transportation infrastructure is to our state."
House Bill 2248, by Shannon, will substantially increase road funding in the coming fiscal year. Current law calls for an annual increase of $41.7 million in road funding. Shannon's bill would hike that amount to $59.7 million, directing an additional $18 million to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety Fund.
The bill directs that the fund continue receiving an additional $59.7 million each year until the total increase equals $575 million.
House Bill 2249, by Shannon, will gradually reduce over a three-year period the amount of motor vehicle collections for licensing fees and penalties currently going to the General Revenue Fund from 29.84 percent to 24.84 percent and direct 5 percent balance to the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Fund (CIRB).
The CIRB program is currently funded with 15 percent of the motor vehicle taxes and fees. House Bill 2249 will increase the estimated annual funding for the CIRB program from approximately $80 million to more than $111 million.
Currently, 706 of nearly 6,800 bridges on the state highway system are identified as structurally deficient. Of the 706 bridges, 413 are currently scheduled to be replaced in the next seven years, but 293 remain unfunded. Many of those bridges will now be replaced.
The two bills were part of Gov. Fallin's transportation agenda for the 2012 session.
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