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Committee probes town highway aid and bridge programs as IIJA-funded work winds down
Summary
Members asked whether apparent reductions in town highway bridge funding reflect a policy pullback or the natural end of IIJA-funded project build-out; JFO said bridges were largely federally funded and suggested agency testimony to explain the program's status and town impacts.
The Joint Fiscal Office noted that a substantial portion of town highway bridge work is federally funded and that some program lines are decreasing relative to last year, prompting members to ask whether the state intentionally reduced support or whether federal IIJA-funded projects are simply reaching completion.
Moberry said town highway bridge line items are largely federally funded and that the agency should be asked to clarify whether the decrease represents the end of an IIJA build-out or a change in state funding priorities. Committee members emphasized the importance of not creating a narrative that the state pulled its support for towns when the change may reflect the completion of a large federal program.
Members also raised the broader question of how much the state sends to towns through multiple programs (town highway aid, class 2 roadways, town highway structures) and whether those flows are growing with inflation; Moberry offered to pull multi-year data and BlackBook references to show whether town funding has been level-funded or increased in recent years.
Committee direction: JFO and the agency were asked to provide program-level detail showing which bridge projects are IIJA-funded, what remains to be completed, and a multi-year series of town-directed funding so members can assess whether town allocations meet municipal needs.
