AASHTO Journal, 27 June 2014
The Delaware Department of Transportation will have $30 million in new revenue to work with next year, thanks to a plan authorized by the Delaware General Assembly’s Bond Bill Committee.
Last week, the Bond Bill Committee approved DelDOT’s authority to increase weekend tolls at two toll plazas — Biddle and Dover — located on the mainline of Delaware 1, though tolls charged at the on and off ramps to Delaware 1 would not be affected. That increase at those two toll plazas will raise the toll for each passenger vehicle from $2 to $3. Additionally, the committee authorized DelDOT to leverage that new toll revenue, which officials believe will bring in an extra $10 million each year, against $20 million in new borrowing.
This new funding would be set aside for specific purposes — $2 million would be tapped for the Municipal Street Aide Program, while DelDOT’s paving program would receive the remaining $28 million.
“While $30 million in new revenue is only a fraction of our agency’s original funding request for the next fiscal year, everyone seems to now agree we need more revenue so we can invest in our infrastructure,” DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt said in a statement. “Because these additional funds will not be dedicated to new project construction, we will really need to work together as a state over the next year to figure out how we will fund our long-term transportation needs; the problem is not going away.”
While the Bond Bill Committee authorized this measure, DelDOT can raise tolls on its own authority under state law. The vote by the committee, however, “made clear that DelDOT would not be acting unilaterally or without the appropriate consultation with the state legislature.”