Joseph D. Kenney: Infrastructure funding will support bridge repair among other projects

To The Daily Sun,

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation has five executive councilors and the Department of Transportation commissioner. GACIT along with regional planning commissions provide input into the Ten-Year Highway Improvement Plan. Also, the Executive Council votes to accept and expend federal transportation funds.

GACIT conducted 22 statewide public hearings to receive input on the plan. In December, GACIT will provide recommendations to the governor who will assign it to the state legislature for input and review. After the House and Senate passes the plan, the governor will sign it into law by June 2022.

There has been lots of news surrounding the federal infrastructure five-year plan, the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act. New Hampshire is programmed to receive $1.139 billion for highway programs. This remains the lowest for any state. Moreover, NH will be confronted with a revenue shortfall in road tolls, Betterment and SB 367 programs. Despite that, federal funding will help advance many projects.

One bright funding source will be the bridge program category. This IIJA funding amount is $225 million to address state/town red listed bridges. The strategy is to use 15% to support the municipal bridge aid program ($6.75 million/year). Allocate the remaining $38 million/year to existing state bridge projects to free up funds with greater spending flexibility. The municipal red listed bridges are over 200 and the state red listed bridges are over 100. It is the intent to lower the state red listed bridges from its current amount of 118 to 88 in 10 years.

One of the other strategies is to increase the following mandated programs by 24%: HSIP, TAP, CMAQ, Rec Trails, etc. ($8.3 million). These are popular programs that each district councilor has say in. It is the intent to alternate the TAP and CMAQ from year to year. Other funds for these programs will support administrative project changes, project increases and recommended changes.

Additional transportation IIJA categories include electric vehicle charging stations ($17.3 million), public transportation ($131 million), and airports ($45.6 million). Other infrastructure items include broadband ($100 million), wildfires ($5.6 million), cyber security ($12.4 million) and water ($418 million).

GACIT public hearing comments brought out the need to expand travel options, improve safety, maintenance of the present system, congestion reduction and enhance system resiliency. In these hearings, it has become clear there is going to be a reduction in state revenue for unrestricted road tolls, Betterment and SB 367 funds in the coming years. TIFIA financing for I-93 will take out $23.4 million a year starting in 2026 for nine years.

The NH Legislature will be forced to look at future gas tax revenues and how it will support our paving and maintenance programs.

Additionally, the NH Legislature will be looking at policy issues such as how the state taxes electric vehicles on roadways, the reduction in gas tax revenue (due to more workers working from home), state workforce issues, material costs, contracted labor, safety, and transit issues.

I will always do my best to advocate for District 1 and I look forward to hearing from you.

Joseph D. Kenney

Executive Councilor District 1