WASHINGTON — A Northwest Arkansas development official told a Senate committee Wednesday that without federal funding to boost transportation projects, the economic success of one of the nation’s fastest growing regions could slam on the brakes.
That rapid growth has put “severe strains” on the area’s transportation infrastructure, said Mike Malone, who heads the Northwest Arkansas Council, a private, nonprofit advocacy group dealing with issues facing the fast-growing metropolitan area.
“We’re concerned that without critical infrastructure improvements, our economic success will be halted or even reversed,” he said.
With increasing costs, project delays and funding uncertainty, Malone added, “We’re losing ground on key regional projects, and we’re afraid we’re going to lose our competitive edge as a region and certainly as a state.”
Malone’s testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was part of series of hearings as the committee begins work on reauthorizing the federal transportation bill.
President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2012 budget includes a six-year, $556 billion re-authorization of surface transportation funding, which has been authorized through a series of short-term extensions since the last highway bill expired in September 2009.
Malone was introduced by Republican Sen. John Boozman, a member of the committee, who said Malone “truly understands” the challenges surrounding transportation funding.
All six witnesses - from states including California, Tennessee and Maryland - said it was critical for Congress to pass a multiyear bill, rather than the short-term extensions, so state and local jurisdictions can implement their projects.
“We’re trying to do what we can at the state and local levels, but it is very difficult to do it without thatcertainty or that vision of what the future looks like at the federal level,” Malone said.
The witnesses also acknowledged the reality of the current political and economic climate, in which lawmakers are seeking to come up with a long-term federal budget that reins in spending to address the nation’s growing debt.
Malone told the committee that residents have done their part to fund projects, noting that Northwest Arkansas cities and counties “have taxed themselves” to raise more than $300 million for transportation needs. In addition, he said, using toll roads to help pay for projects is “something our region could be comfortable with.”
Malone also told the committee that in 2012, voters statewide will likely consider two ballot measures toraise funds for transportation projects - a five-cent diesel tax increase and half-cent statewide sales tax.
“Even with these efforts at the local level, even with these opportunities at the statewide level, these revenues are not sufficient to meet the statewide transportation needs in Arkansas,” he said.
Federal financing is key to completing projects, Malone told the panel, noting that Arkansas has the 12th-most lane miles in its state highway system, but ranks 42nd in per-capita federal highway funding.
Malone outlined several key projects for Northwest Arkansas: the I-49/Bella Vista bypass, the U.S. 412 bypass, the Western Beltway, and I-540 upgrades. With such projects in mind, he asked committee members to keep the needs of smaller regions, not just major metropolitan areas, in mind as they write the legislation.
“We urge you to think at the regional scale,” Malone said. “Business and industry certainly don’t see the political boundaries or the geographic boundaries that a lot of us live in and are concerned about. They see the assets and strengths of an entire region regardless of what those boundaries are.”
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 04/07/2011