Vermont to Divert Money From State Account to Keep Road Work on Schedule

Vermont Transportation Secretary Sue Minter says that if Congress doesn't pass a transportation bill by the end of July, her agency plans to borrow money from the state's cash flow account to keep road projects on schedule.

“We know that we can carry that forward having the state treasury pay those which would otherwise be federal dollars for a short term,” Minter said on Vermont Public Radio. “I think if that went on for a number of months we'd have to think about other scenarios.”

She said Vermont would receive $1.3 billion under the $278 billion federal plan to fund transportation projects over the next six years, which is to be considered by the Senate Finance Committee. Another short-term extension would be bad for public policy, Minter said.

“It means that we're all doing short-term thinking, and what we need to be doing isn't just limping forward and duct-taping our system back together. We need to be thinking big about the future. We need an infrastructure for the 21st century,” she said.