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Benton County wins $3 million in state bonding for Highway One after sustained lobbying
Summary
County lobbyists and local commissioners credited sustained bipartisan advocacy for securing $3 million in the state bonding bill toward Highway One; county staff said the award is part of a competitive $1.2 billion statewide package and said federal BUILD grant results are expected in June.
Benton County commissioners on Monday heard that sustained advocacy at the state and federal level helped secure $3 million in general obligation bonds to support safety and congestion mitigation on Highway One. Grady Horn of LHPA, who briefed the board on the recently concluded legislative session, said the county’s case emphasized public-safety impacts near schools and regional transportation significance.
"Given the competition this year, our projects really stood out," Grady Horn told the board, citing bipartisan support and outreach from the county’s legislative delegation. Horn said the state passed a $1.2 billion bonding package and that roughly one in seven submitted projects statewide were funded.
The county’s federal outreach also remains active. Megan Taylor of Congressman Emmer’s office told commissioners she expects the U.S. BUILD competitive grant announcements in mid-June and that members of the delegation typically learn a day ahead of the public announcement and then notify applicants. Taylor said Benton County was a lead candidate and that delegation staff had been strongly supportive. "We were Congressman Emmer's number one choice for our project," she said in the meeting.
Commissioners thanked county staff and outside advocates for persistent engagement in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., saying the multi-year effort and materials (including a site video and letters of support) helped the county’s pitch. Several commissioners discussed whether to make another trip to Washington before the transportation-alliance fly-in; staff said additional travel was not necessary before the scheduled alliance meetings and cautioned about county resource constraints.
What happens next: staff said the county will await the BUILD announcement in June and continue coordination with state and federal delegation offices. Grady Horn and county staff will provide more detailed reports as they finalize post-session analysis and next-step strategies.
