Voters voiced their support for state and local ballot initiatives to fund transportation improvement projects when they went to the polls on Nov. 8., the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ATBA) said.
Of the 380 ballot initiatives in 18 states, voters approved 88 percent, generating $20 billion in one-time and recurring revenue for transportation projects, ARBTA said. However, according to information compiled by ARTBA, 23 measures remain undecided as results are still pending.
The approval rate, ARTBA said, was higher than the historical average. Since 2010, voters in 44 states have approved 85 percent of the ballot measures put before them on average, resulting in $342 billion in new and renewed revenue.
“A key takeaway is that voters remain committed to investing their tax dollars in better streets, roads, bridges, and transit systems even in the face of record inflation and high gasoline prices that are straining household budgets,” said TIAC Director Carolyn Kramer Simons.
In Texas, voters approved 114 measures raising $12.9 billion in revenue, the most of any state. Texans in 29 localities approved 27 measures to generate $1.5 billion for city, town, and county transportation improvements.
In Colorado-El Paso County, voters approved a one-cent sales tax that will generate $1 billion over the next 10 years. The revenue will be used to fund capital projects, maintenance, and transit.
And in San Francisco, Calif., voters authorized the Transportation Authority to issue up to $1.91 billion in bonds, to be paid by an existing sales tax of 0.5 percent that voters approved for an additional 30 years.
The approval of ballot measures comes just one year after the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Revenue generated through the approved ballot measures will help state and local governments compete for IIJA-related grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, ARTBA said.