Supporters Say Road Tax To Fund Critical Projects

Supporters of a temporary half-cent sales tax increase to help aid and expand the state’s four-lane highway system promoted their cause with the help of a national transportation group on Tuesday.

Rob Moritz with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, reports:

The Road Information Program, a Washington, D.C.-based national nonprofit transportation research group funded by insurance groups and other businesses involved with highway construction, released a report identifying the 40 transportation projects most needed to support Arkansas’ economic growth.

“Many of these projects, or actually all of them listed, will or could be completed within the next 10 years if Issue 1 passes,” state HIghway Director Scott Bennett said.

Construction under the bond program would focus primarily on creating a statewide four-lane grid and adding capacity to existing four-lane highways.

Some of the larger and more expensive projects planned include widening Interstate 540 to six lanes from Fayetteville to the Missouri border; widening Arkansas 18 from Jonesboro east to I-55; expanding U.S. 412 to four lanes between Walnut Ridge and Paragould; widening U.S. 67-167 between Jacksonville and Cabot; widening I-40 from Little Rock to Conway; replacing the I-30 bridge over the Arkansas River; and widening U.S. 70 from I-30 to Hot Springs.

In an October Talk Business-Hendrix College Poll, voters indicated growing support and shrinking opposition to Issue No. 1. The poll, conducted among 868 likely voters, showed a statistical dead heat.

Q.  In November, Arkansas voters will consider a proposal that would temporarily increase the sales tax by a half-cent in the state. The revenue generated from the 10-year temporary tax would be used to pay for a four-lane highway system statewide. If the election were today, would you vote for a half-cent tax increase for this purpose?

44.5%    Yes
44%       No
11.5%     Don’t Know

Those numbers are different from a late July Talk Business-Hendrix College Poll that showed 42% support for the measure and 49.5% against it.

You can read more on the polling results here and more of Moritz’s report at this link