June 2015
Legislature approves additional funding for roads
More transportation funding is likely headed for North Texas and other parts of the state thanks to measures approved by the Legislature in the closing days of the 84th Session.
Senate Joint Resolution 5, which would provide $2.5 billion per year for transportation projects, will be put before voters in November. If the measure is approved, money from the general fund will be allocated to transportation once the fund tops $28 billion, beginning in September 2017. By September 2019, 35 percent of the proceeds from the motor vehicle sales tax would also be directed to the State Highway Fund. The money provided by SJR 5 would be limited to non-tolled facilities. In the budget, legislators also approved an end to diversions from the highway fund, which will also provide a boost in funding.
SJR 5 would be the second consecutive constitutional amendment to provide funding to the transportation system. Last November, voters passed Proposition 1, which provided $1.7 billion for non-tolled transportation projects in 2015 and is expected to exceed $1 billion annually over the next two years. Additional funding has topped the Regional Transportation Council’s legislative program the past several sessions, as policymakers grapple with the increased transportation needs brought on by explosive growth throughout Dallas-Fort Worth.
Another issue the RTC has pursued is restoring money to the AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine Program, which had its funding reduced by 88 percent in 2011. Starting September 1, the new budget will provide full funding, or $87 million statewide, for the program over the next two years. The program offers vouchers worth up to $3,500 to help qualifying motorists with replacement costs of high-emitting vehicles and $600 toward repairs. |
nctcog.org/localmotion
10.6 million
Projected population of Dallas-Fort Worth in 2040..
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