The Mississippi Department of Transportation is just one step away from having a $230 million budget approved as House Bill 1630 waits at the desk of Governor Tate Reeves.
The bill, which would provide funds to the state’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair (ERBR) program, was passed in both the Mississippi House and Senate on Monday.
Repairs and maintenance of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure across the state is the main goal of the bill with an additional boost of $100 million to the ERBR program.
Other funds included in the bill are:
- $40 million to MDOT to match federal funds from the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
- $45 million toward accelerating MDOT’s three-year maintenance schedule.
- $35 million toward accelerating MDOT’s “capacity” schedule, which relates to additional lanes for increased traffic.
- $10 million to ports through the Mississippi Development Authority.
In addition to the new funds, $80 million from lottery proceeds and other one-time and recurring funds from the legislature will also be included in MDOT’s budget.
Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann explained that the passing of the bill comes at the request of residents of Mississippi to address the urgent need of improving the state’s infrastructure.
“Our cities, counties and constituents have asked us to dedicate our resources to better maintaining and adding to our infrastructure,” Hosemann said. “This package is a direct response to their request, with projects ranging from critical safety needs to routine maintenance to new infrastructure across our state.”
If signed by Reeves, the bill will go into effect on July 1.
