Senate Transportation reviews AOT FY26 paving, roadway and traffic-safety budgets; paving allocation $102.91 million

Patrick Gotrick, a program manager in the Agency of Transportation's highway safety and design section, told the Senate Transportation Committee on March 20 that the administration's FY26 paving appropriation is $102,910,000, a drop of roughly $27 million from fiscal 2025.

The paving program budget “has construction funding shown for 46 different paving projects in fiscal 26” and is also intended to advance about 34 additional projects, Gotrick said. He said roughly 71 miles on the interstate and class 1 system are planned for 2-inch mill-and-fill or reclaim-style treatments, with another 31 miles slated for lower‑cost federal leveling work, for about 102 miles of surface treatments in the programs covered.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed AOT staff on how those projects are selected, how grant-funded projects appear on other lists, and how safety concerns factor into resurfacing decisions. Senators asked whether municipal or grant projects (for example, RAISE awards and other externally funded work) are shown in the same materials as formula-funded paving; AOT staff said they are usually managed separately and that the FY26 appropriation discussed at the hearing is formula and…