ITD board selects General Fund surplus projects
The Idaho Transportation Board selected 17 road and bridge projects that will be funded by General Surplus as authorized by the 2015 Legislature at the board’s monthly meeting Thursday (Dec. 17) in Boise.
“Projects selected today are another important step in improving our system by replacing and preserving our bridges, as well as our pavements, and keeping Idaho's economy and citizens moving,” said Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Jerry Whitehead.
The projects will be funded by approximately $54 million of Fiscal Year 2015 General Fund cash surplus. The money was placed by the Idaho Legislature into the transportation department’s Strategic Initiative Program (SIP) Fund. Legislators authorized the SIP fund to receive 50 percent of General Fund cash surplus at the end of fiscal years 2015 and 2016.
“These funds will lead to immediate improvements in safety and increase mobility for drivers across Idaho,” said ITD Director Brian Ness. “The projects also will enhance economic opportunity by getting more goods and services to market, along with increasing tourism and recreational opportunities.”
The board selected each project based on its return on investment in the areas of safety, mobility and economic opportunity. To receive SIP funding, road and bridge projects also must be part of the current five-year Idaho Transportation Investment Program (ITIP), and recommended for SIP funding by an ITD district engineer.
Click here for a list and brief description of projects selected.
Money placed in the SIP Fund by the legislature may only be used for road and bridge maintenance, and is separate from ITD’s additional funding made available by increases to the state’s gasoline tax and motor-vehicle registrations approved during the last legislative session.
An annual report to the legislature of expenditures from the SIP fund is required. ITD will track where the money from the fund is used separately from other road and bridge projects in Idaho.
Published 12-18-15