Vermont, Delaware approve nearly $700 million for road and bridge work

Two Northeastern state governors have signed into law infrastructure packages that include more than $675 million for road and bridge construction.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has signed into law a bill to put $373 million into highway infrastructure investments.

H529 allots $100 million for bridge work; $100 million for paving; $49 million for roadways; and $20 million in traffic and safety improvements. Nearly $94 million will be applied for transit and other purposes. Rest areas will receive about $680,000.

The new law includes authorization for the Agency of Transportation to spend $2 million on electric vehicle incentives and emissions repair programs during the next year.

The new incentive program is intended to make it easier for low- and moderate-income Vermonters to purchase electric vehicles.

As the incentive program takes shape, Gov. Scott and other state officials also are looking into collecting fees from electric vehicle owners. The funds would be used to cover state’s transportation infrastructure expenses.

Officials have emphasized the need to keep the fees low to encourage people to buy electric vehicles.

One more provision in H529 allows the head of the Department of Motor Vehicles to waive the knowledge test for qualified military personnel on the tank vehicle and hazardous materials endorsements for commercial driver’s licenses.

Delaware Gov. John Carney has signed into law the largest infrastructure package in the state’s history.

The $863 million fiscal year 2020 capital budget, SB61, includes investment into new road and bridge construction.

Specifically, the state’s Transportation Trust Fund will receive $425.3 million. The new amount is up from $368 million this year.

The transportation funds are part of a six-year, $3.2 billion plan to fix roads and bridges statewide through 2025.

The Delaware Department of Transportation develops a six-year Capital Transportation Plan annually. The plan is used to identify capital investments.