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MDOT seeks sustained funding, cites recruitment gains and a $485 million paving shortfall
Summary
Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Brad White told the Appropriations subcommittee that a personnel program has helped stem staff losses, the department achieved a record award year, and a roughly $485 million shortfall in paving remains a long‑term funding gap.
Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Brad White told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee he seeks continued authority to spend federal and supplemental state funds, and additional budget flexibility to address a roughly $485 million shortfall in the paving program while continuing to rebuild agency staff.
White said the state’s SCC Squared personnel program has helped stop turnover and attract engineers and maintenance staff back into MDOT after years of declines; he described a recent increase in contract awards and said the department awarded a record amount of paving and capacity work last year. He told the committee that legislative supplemental funds and one‑time money such as ARPA allowed MDOT to put about $104 million of paving projects into contract in the prior year.
Why it matters: MDOT manages the state’s federal highway program and multiple modal programs, and its staffing and funding levels shape how quickly paving, capacity and bridge projects move from planning to construction. White said the department needs sustained, dedicated state funding that complements federal resources to avoid falling behind federal performance targets and to reduce a growing backlog.
White described how the department used supplemental state funding to enable capacity projects to proceed when preconstruction work was complete and federal authorization required evidence of available cash flow. He said MDOT has also refinanced debt to save about $40 million and that the department is working to leverage a strategic multimodal fund to attract federal matches for airports, ports, rail and transit projects.
The department presented a FY2026 spending authority request for special funds tied to federal and state revenue and said its program budget would exceed $150 million in programmatic spending authority (figure given in testimony). White also described a current paving shortfall in the neighborhood of $485 million and said material and equipment cost escalation has reduced what the same level of funding can buy compared with prior years.
White said he is optimistic about federal reauthorization (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act reauthorization cycle) and noted the state delegation’s roles in that process; he urged the committee to continue one‑time and supplemental funding where appropriate to leverage federal dollars and keep major projects moving.
No committee vote was recorded on MDOT’s request during the testimony portion in the transcript.
