ACEC Idaho, including member firm J-U-B Engineers, have helped a coalition of stakeholders in securing a sustainable transportation funding solution for the State of Idaho. Several bills were passed that will fund needed infrastructure investments in the following ways:

HB 306  – Is a one-time appropriation of one hundred twenty-six million dollars ($126 M) to help advance bid-ready transportation projects across Idaho. This includes four million dollars ($4 M) to state aeronautics and seventy-two million ($72 M) to strategic Initiatives. These funds are from the state’s record budget surplus as part of Governor Little’s “Building Idaho’s Future” plan.

HB 326 – Is a one-time appropriation of eighteen million dollars ($18 M) to Idaho Transportation Department.

HB 362 – Amends existing law to increase funding for state and local transportation by redirecting a larger share of existing sales tax that goes to the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) account. This legislation increases the sales tax distribution from 1% to 4.5%. These changes will allocate no-less than eighty million dollars ($80 M) annually to the Idaho Transportation Department (“ITD”) for large infrastructure projects on the state highway system. The excess of eighty million dollars, if any, is dedicated to local units of government for roads and bridges as sales tax revenues increase. This amount also allows for approximately one billion six hundred million dollars ($1.6 B) in bonding authority over a twenty-year period.

“J-U-B is thankful to have been a part of helping secure funding for transportation projects across Idaho. Our commitment is to the communities we support and to making the infrastructure of Idaho the best it can be. This funding will be a game-changer for transportation across Idaho, both in terms of improving safety and capacity of the system. This funding will be paramount in helping mitigate for the unprecedented growth. J-U-B looks forward to supporting ITD, Highway Districts, Counties, and Cities in implementing transportation projects with this funding package.”

– Mike Arneson, PE
TSG Group Leader