Governor, lawmakers agree on road funding plan

State legislators are trying to do something about Oklahoma's bad roads and bridges. It's no secret that many are in desperate need of repair. <br/><br/>So, leaders from both parties developed

Tuesday, May 17th 2005, 5:52 am

By: News On 6

State legislators are trying to do something about Oklahoma's bad roads and bridges. It's no secret that many are in desperate need of repair.

So, leaders from both parties developed a plan to find more money for our roads, "without" a new tax.

News on 6 anchor Terry Hood says Governor Brad Henry, a Democrat, and Republican Speaker of the House Todd Hiett both endorsed a new plan to pump money into the state's transportation budget. It's a plan that will grow over time.

The state will take $17-million of this year's budget surplus and put it in a lock box to fix some of Oklahoma's most dangerous roads.

Every year after that, the state plans to add $34 million more to the lock box, until it's contributing $170- million "every year" to fix roads and bridges. The contributions to the lock box will only continue to grow as long as there's a state budget surplus.

The plan still needs to be approved by the state House and the state Senate, as well as Governor Henry.