Kentucky Infrastructure Coalition, a large group of businesses, chambers of commerce and associations across Kentucky pushed for increased funding for roads and bridges at a Rally for Better Roads on Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda.
The Kentucky Infrastructure Coalition hosted the rally in support of House Bill 580, sponsored by Rep. Sal Santoro, which would generate an estimated $483 million per year in new transportation funding to maintain and build roads and bridges across Kentucky.
Key components of the bill include a 10-cent increase in the motor fuels tax, increased funding for city and county roads, a fee for electric vehicles, and a multi-modal fund to improve rail crossings, river ports, transit, and airports.
According to Carolyn Bonifas Kelly, Director of Communications & Research for TRIP (a national transportation research nonprofit), “Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested, or lack some desirable safety features cost Kentucky motorists a total of $4.5 billion statewide annually due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes, and congestion-related delays.”
Transportation infrastructure involves more than highways. Kentucky needs a long-term funding approach that provides adequate revenue for all modes of transportation to maintain what we have and build what we need to compete:
Rep. Sal Santoro
• Sustainable increased funding for state and local roads and bridges
• More funding to increase safety at rail crossings on public roads
• Strategic investments in riverports, the gateways to $29 billion in cargo shipping on Kentucky rivers
• Continued investments to maintain and improve our 59 commercial and regional airports
• Smart investments in transit, the only choice for many workers to remain in the workforce and to connect Kentuckians to health care and higher education.
“Business leaders know that infrastructure is at the top of the list for any business looking at Kentucky,” said Kentucky Chamber Chairman Nick Rowe, President of Kentucky American Water.
“If the infrastructure doesn’t meet the needs of new businesses considering coming here, we lose. All of us lose. We want to win. All of us need to work together to push HB 580 across the finish line.”
