On the road with Gov. Little
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING: Len Crosby points at state disparity/A4
ATHOL — Several multimillion dollar transportation bills supported by Gov. Brad Little could rescue Idaho’s congested roadways, but it won’t be a quick fix.
Around the state, highly traveled roadways like Interstate 90 are suffering from an influx of new residents and lack of substantial state infrastructure funding for decades, Little said Monday during a roundtable at Idaho Forest Group's Athol facility.
Recognizing the adverse effects growth is having on state highways, Little sees transportation investments as a vital component of the “Building Idaho’s Future” plan and Idaho’s future.
"Not planning for growth is worse than planning for growth, and that's why you have to do this," Little said after the roundtable. "Fundamentally if you're not growing, you're going backward."
Kicking off a series of statewide roundtable discussions on sustainable transportation funding solutions, Little met with local business leaders and officials. He said he hopes to pin down the needs of Idahoans on the road.
Alongside other financial propositions in the plan, Little advocated for allocating $126 million from Idaho’s General Fund to state and local highway projects and $80 million in new ongoing transportation funding.
Approved by the Legislature under House Bill 308, the $126 million was signed into law by the governor on March 23 and will go directly to the Idaho Transportation Department. The $80 million, which Little said was saved through tightening agency budgets, will pay back project bonds.
"What we're trying to do is have a dedicated source of money to do some long-term bonding to where we can address those big connectivity projects," Little said. "I think locking in the interest rates now is the right thing to do because you will not be able to do this if interest rates go way up."
Other transportation appropriation legislation is working its way through the statehouse, the governor said. He said his conversations with lawmakers on the subject have been positive.
Atop Little's transportation Kootenai County priority list is adding a third lane to both sides of I-90 between the Washington state line and Coeur d'Alene. Based on estimates provided by the governor's staff, the project could cost anywhere from $600 million to $775 million.
Little recognizes that the fraction of the $126 million pie North Idaho will receive is a far cry from the near $800 million price tag, but it's a start.
Knowing that more federal transportation dollars could come into play, the governor said it's important for the state to set up long-term, self-sustaining funding sources.
"We'll see what the federal government is doing. I've heard enough different stories, I am sure it's not going to be Idaho-centric," Little said. "We better not count on that. It's just not the wise thing to do. The wise thing to do is for us to put this source of revenue in there to address those plans."
Little believes that investing in transportation will help preserve one of Idahoans'"most precious commodities" — their time.
"If you can save every individual 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 minutes a day, that's time they can spend with their families, that’s time they can spend at work, that’s less frustration," Little said. "That's what we're trying to do is save people that precious commodity."
Little suggested investing in things like highway infrastructure would keep Idahoans in Idaho for generations to come. He noted that ineffective roadways' adverse impacts could potentially hurt economic and employment opportunities in the state and drive out residents.
"I see the investments, the smart investments in smart growth and transportation as a way to ensure that our kids will stay here and they’ll choose to stay here," Little said. "We want to have that smart growth and that connectivity to where people can get to work and hit up to play and see businesses like one that we're standing in here right now can be competitive on the global market."
