While the deteriorating condition of our streets and roads and
the lack of money to repair them has been the focus of CSAC’s
transportation funding advocacy, CSAC and our partners in the Fix
Our Roads Coalition
wrote to the Legislature this week to stress some of the
broader economic impacts of California’s transportation funding
crisis.
The letter highlights the recent bankruptcy of a well-known
contractor that was representative of mid-sized heavy
construction companies in California—an industry that employs
about 250,000 workers. Driven by reductions in gas prices and
increasing fuel economy, less funding is available for projects
that employ these Californians.
The letter notes that Caltrans’ annual capital program has
dropped from more than $7 billion in 2010‐11 to an estimated $2.9
billion for the coming year. Similar reductions have occurred at
the local level, where, driven by an 82% decrease in price-based
excise tax revenues, state gas tax funding for local streets and
roads projects has dropped from $1.8 billion in fiscal year
2013-14 to an estimated $1.1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year.
The Legislature returns from its summer recess on August 1 and
CSAC and the Fix Our Roads Coalition continue to urge action on a
comprehensive transportation funding and reform package. The
condition of California’s economy depends on it—both in terms of
the mobility the transportation system provides and the industry
and employees its maintenance and improvement supports.
