Many of Mississippi’s busted roads and bridges may soon be back in working order.
Less than two weeks after President Donald Trump announced his Federal plan for infrastructure, to the tune of $1.5 trillion, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves made a surprise announcement earlier this week of a $1 billion infrastructure plan for the state of Mississippi.
The BRIDGE Act, which was shaped partly by Democrat State Senator Willie Simmons (Transportation Chairman) and Republican Joey Fillingane (Finance Chairman), could provide new money to the Delta region to help spur development, a release from Reeves’ office said this week.
Simmons has been outspoken about the need for the legislature to find a way to invest in failing infrastructure. Most proposals up to this point have involved raising revenue through taxation, more specifically a proposal to raise the gas tax.
Reeves has not been a proponent of raising taxes in any shape or form.
Reeves’ office told The Enterprise-Tocsin back in August that he was for spending money on roads and bridges, but he was not in favor of raising the gasoline tax nor was he in favor or implementing what his spokesperson called an ‘illegal” tax on internet sales.
“Since 2011, the Legislature has appropriated more than $7 billion for Mississippi roads and bridges,” Reeves’ spokesperson Laura Hipp said at the time. “Lt. Gov. Reeves believes we should direct more money to maintenance and repairs, and he believes we can do so without raising the gas tax and without implementing an illegal tax on Internet sales.”
It is no secret that Reeves could launch a run for governor before Gov. Phil Bryant’s second term ends, and Reeves wants to keep his perfect “no taxes raised on my watch” record clean for such a run.
In the past year, however, Reeves has been forced to weigh the importance of keeping taxes the way they are versus the hundreds of county bridges that are being closed statewide.
Sunflower County had as many as 22 bridges out at one time in 2017.
This has caused problems for county citizens and for farmers who are trying to move large pieces of equipment throughout the county.
Simmons also spoke to The E-T back in the fall and urged citizens to contact their lawmakers about the closed roads and bridges in their counties. He said at the time that few had done so, and that if more spoke up, the legislature would act.
It is clear that something lit a fire under Reeves, who along with the Republican supermajority in Jackson, has the power to push or kill any bill they choose.
Trump’s aggressive plan might have had some influence on state leaders who may feel a state-level infrastructure bill may position Mississippi to benefit more from the Federal act.
It could have been an onslaught of calls from frustrated homeowners and farmers who need these county roads and bridges to navigate.
Whatever the case may be, at long last, Mississippi has a plan for infrastructure.
