Across the political divide, voters approve $41 billion for state & local transportation investment        

Voters Nov. 5 approved 77 percent of 370 state and local ballot initiatives that are expected to generate $41.4 billion in new and renewed funding for roads, bridges, trails and rails, according to initial results compiled by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

Some revenue will be available immediately through bond agreements, while most will be generated through sales, property, or other taxes collected gradually over as many as 30 years.

Transportation funding measures tracked by ARTBA’s Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (TIAC) appeared on ballots in at least 25 states, with 23 states approving at least one statewide or local question.

“The support for these ballot measures during one of the most consequential national election cycles in modern history proves that transportation investment continues to transcend partisan politics,” said TIAC Senior Director of State Funding Policy Carolyn Kramer Simons. “Voters from all parties and geographic areas agree on the need to invest in roads, bridges, and transit infrastructure.”

Among the key outcomes:

• Washington state: Voters chose to keep the state’s carbon credit market, a portion of which is used for its transportation budget on projects to improve transit, electrify ferries, advance high-speed rail, and for initiatives to improve pedestrian safety.

• California: Voters rejected a statewide measure lowering the threshold required to pass local bonds and special taxes from 66.67 percent voter approval to 55 percent voter approval. This would have eased the burden on counties, cities, and towns seeking revenue to maintain and improve roads, bridges, trails, and other transportation-related infrastructure.

• South Carolina: Four out of nine counties renewed or enacted a local sales tax for transportation purposes, approving $11.7 billion in funding for roads, bridges, and transit.

• Arizona: Voters renewed a half-cent transportation sales tax, which will generate $14.9 billion in revenue for another two decades.

• Nashville: Voters approved $3.1 billion for the city’s transit system, sidewalks, and roads after overwhelmingly supporting a half-cent sales tax increase.