Gov. Beshear was joined by the State and U.S. Transportation Secretaries to urge Congress to act before the Federal Highway Trust Fund runs out.
If the federal money the state usually receives from the Highway Trust Fund doesn’t come this August, the widening of I-65 and plans to fix parkways and roads in desperate need of repair across Kentucky will come to a screeching halt. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is visiting the states he says will be most affected. “We’re here because we’re standing with Governors who are most on the front lines of these issues, who have responsibility for managing the federal funds that come into the states to get projects done. We want to make it very clear to the American public what is going to happen if we go over this highway cliff.”
That “cliff” in Kentucky means $185 million dollars in projects with no funding. Governor Steve Beshear said there’s only one place to lay the blame if that happens. “So if those projects cannot be done this year, you need to blame Congress for every teeth-jarring-jolt to your car and trucks suspensions when you drive those routes.”
Kentucky participates in the federal reimbursement program where the cabinet “fronts” the money for construction projects to pay for contractor invoices and is reimbursed by the Federal Highway Administration.