Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House committee grills DOTD on $400M in preservation funds and $7.5M per district allocations
Summary
DOTD officials told lawmakers the state received nearly $400 million in supplemental transportation funding this year, split across preservation projects, equipment acquisitions and roughly $7.5 million for each DOT district for maintenance supplies and contracts. Legislators demanded clearer project lists and regular updates.
The House Transportation Committee on July 10 heard a detailed breakdown from Department of Transportation and Development officials of roughly $400 million in additional transportation funding allocated this session and how it will be used.
DOTD Deputy Secretary Barry Keeling said the department had “received almost $400,000,000 of additional funding” that came from several sources, including the transportation infrastructure fund, state general fund transfers and surplus receipts. Keeling said the money was divided among categories such as the road-transfer program, acquisitions for heavy equipment, a bridge-maintenance unit and district-directed maintenance supplies and contracts.
Why it matters: Lawmakers said they want visible results in their districts and clearer, auditable lines from appropriation to pavement. Several members pressed DOTD for a simple, local-level accounting of how each district will spend its $7.5 million allotment.
What DOTD told the panel
• Keeling said the department’s acquisitions account received an extra $25 million ‘‘above what we already had programmed,’’ bringing the acquisitions budget to about $93 million for the year to buy heavy equipment to support construction across the state. He described a bridge-maintenance allocation and said the bridge unit received roughly $7.3 million to expand its capacity.
• Keeling said the districts collectively received an additional $45 million from the infrastructure fund and excess legislative funds, and that the $7.5 million that each DOT district received is intended for maintenance supplies and short-term contracts (striping, asphalt supplies, piping and similar items) to produce immediate preservation results.
• Keeling told members the preservation exercise identified about 60 extra projects above the normal program and that the department is allotting resources for design, construction engineering and inspection so those projects can be let and built on schedule.
Lawmakers pressed for district detail
Several legislators, including Representative Wiley and Representative Orgeron, asked how to find the specific lists of projects and the point of contact for district-level details. Secretary Joe Donahue and Keeling said district administrators (DAs) and the planning division should be able to provide project lists and contact information and that a hard copy of the district allocations would be circulated on request.
Keeling and Donahue also stressed these funds are largely meant for preservation and maintenance rather than adding new roadway capacity. Keeling said the district spending decisions were intentionally varied — each district assessed local needs and will use the $7.5 million for different mixes of striping contracts, materials, equipment and small overlay or preventive maintenance projects.
Next steps
DOTD told the committee it will provide members the district-level breakdowns and suggested a quarterly update on project lettings and progress to give legislators material they can share with constituents. Members said they want a straightforward, user-friendly summary of which projects are ‘‘imminent or underway’’ and which are planning-stage items.
