Voters approve more than $75B in transportation funds

On November 4, voters approved more than $75 billion in funding for transportation, according to the Center for Transportation Excellence. There were 32 measures on ballots from Rhode Island to Hawaii and 14 states in between.

More than 70 percent of measures were approved in favor of transportation, demonstrating the willingness of voters to invest in expanding choice, improving performance, and increasing competitiveness.

Included in the 23 approved measures were the three largest measures on this November’s ballot:

• Los Angeles County, California – A 1/2 cent sales tax increase was approved to finance new and existing transportation projects, including highways, local roads and mass transit. The sales tax is expected to generate $40 billion over the next 30 years.

• Seattle – Last year’s “Roads and Transit” plan was defeated because of its size and cost. This year, voters approved a sales tax increase for Sound Transit’s $17.8 billion plan to provide an additional 34 miles of light rail and expand bus service.

•California, statewide – Voters approved a $9.9 billion bond to support construction of a high-speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

2008 has been among the most successful election cycles ever in terms of overall investment and percentage of approved measures.

A complete list of 2008 ballot initiatives is available at http://www.cfte.org.