Senate Approves Measure to Increase Appropriations to ROADS Fund

The state Senate on Monday approved legislation that would increase appropriations to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety (ROADS) Fund.

Senate Bill 1141 by Sen. Kenneth Corn would increase appropriations to the fund from $70 million to $120 million beginning June 30, 2009. Established in 2005, all monies dedicated to the ROADS Fund are used for the construction and maintenance of state roads and bridges. The bill would remove a three-percent growth trigger that has previously prevented annual appropriations increases to the fund.

Corn said it is critical that the Legislature begin investing in roads and bridges.

“It’s no secret that Oklahoma’s roads and bridges are among the nation’s worst, and it’s time for the Legislature to step up and make the investments needed to rebuild our transportation infrastructure,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “If we don’t make transportation a priority, we not only harm our business climate but we endanger Oklahomans. We have a long way to go but approving this legislation is a positive step in a larger effort to rebuild Oklahoma’s roads and bridges.”

Corn said that when the Legislature established the ROADS Fund, the legislation provided for annual funding increases of $50 million as long as state revenues grew by a rate of three percent each year. Removal of the trigger would allow the Legislature to provide funding increases independent of growth projections.

Corn said passage of the measure would complete a funding commitment to the Department of Transportation and part of an eight-year plan to improve the state’s roads and bridges.

“As we set our priorities for Oklahoma, roads and bridges need to be at the top,” Corn said. “If we’re going to tell the people of Oklahoma that we’re going to fix roads and bridges, we ought to make a concrete commitment to do so.”

The measure now advances to the House for consideration.