Senate budgets additional $230M for statewide transportation
Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, April 5, 2022
The Mississippi Senate advanced a $230 million plan this week to invest in infrastructure statewide.
House Bill 1630 — the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s budget bill — will next receive consideration from Gov. Tate Reeves.
Under the bill, the state’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair program would see a $100 million boost.
Other allocations are:
- $40 million to MDOT to match federal funds from the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act
- $45 million to accelerate MDOT’s three-year maintenance schedule
- $35 million to accelerate MDOT’s capacity schedule, relating to additional lanes for increased traffic
- $10 million to ports through the Mississippi Development Authority
The funding is in addition to other one-time and recurring funds provided by the Legislature for roads and bridges, including $80 million in recurring dollars from lottery proceeds.
“Our cities, counties and constituents have asked us to dedicate our resources to better maintaining and adding to our infrastructure,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. “This package is a direct response to their request, with projects ranging from critical safety needs to routine maintenance to new infrastructure across our state.”
Instead of relying on bonds and increasing the state’s indebtedness, the package included in HB 1630 will be funded with unanticipated additional revenue. The state will also pay off $249 million in principal on past bonds.
Lincoln County legislators Rep. Vince Mangold, Rep. Becky Currie and Sen. Jason Barrett all voted in support of the legislation.