Dive Brief:
- The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department announced that 27 road and bridge projects — which it had postponed due to uncertainty over federal transportation funding — would go out for bids next month.
- That number is about one-third of the 87 projects — worth $411 million — that the transportation department had decided to put on hold as it waited for lawmakers to act.
- Officials said the reopening of projects was the result of the most recent funding stopgap measure Congress passed before its August recess, which includes an $8.1 billion transfer of general revenue to the Highway Trust Fund and expires on Oct. 29.
Dive Insight:
Congress has continuously struggled to pass long-term legislation authorizing funding for the Highway Trust Fund. Dick Trammel, chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission chairman, said the state's congressional delegate has assured the commission that a long-term agreement will soon be reached. "Congress has kicked the can down the road 34 times, and they don't want to do it again," he said.
Congress is expected to pick up where it left off on the transportation funding issue this fall.
Construction industry groups have continued to issue calls for Congress to reach a more permanent funding solution. With uncertainty looming over federal infrastructure projects, construction managers may be less inclined to hire or retain workers.
And five states — Arkansas, Wyoming, Tennessee, Georgia, and Utah — have postponed or shut down $1.5 billion worth of construction projects because they couldn't rely on federal aid, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Department Director Scott Bennett said the reopening of the infrastructure project bidding "is great news for the state's economy."
