Gov. Moore offers one-time $150M boost for state highway fund, after pushback over cuts

MARYLAND – The Moore Administration is announcing a $150 million dollar “one-time cash injection” into the state’s transportation budget for FY2025 as part of the governor’s planned budget.

“When the governor and his administration announced about a month or so ago about this huge reduction in transportation spending and that the highway user funds coming back to the locals was at risk, there was quite an uproar,’ said Maryland State Senator Mary Beth Carozza.

52 million of those dollars are to go to those highway user funds across the state, which help counties to fund their road projects from fixing potholes to the repairs on the Route 50 bridge in Ocean City.

An additional ten million also going to litter removal.

“This is a major issue in a rural area on the shore when we talk about our highway mowing and our litter removal, so restoring that $10 million statewide will have a significant impact,” Sen. Carozza said.

In a statement to 47ABC Worcester County Public Works Director Dallas Baker said he is anticipating a boost in HUR funding in FY25, but “We won’t know what that amount may be until we receive something official from the state, we anticipate that more information from the state will be forthcoming.”

Sen. Carozza tells 47 ABC she is glad that the governor is responding to the pushback raised across the isle and county lines in the impact those cuts would make, even in the face of a budget deficit.

“These highway user funds come back to fund their priority transportation projects. That’s why they’re so important as well,” Carozza said.

The funds were previously tapped by the O’Malley administration during their period of budget troubles.

Sen. Carozza says the fight to keep the highway user fee funded, and local was a constant challenge under the Hogan administration, but ultimately one that the counties one.

She says she will continue to fight for those funds in this budget and in the future.

“The legislature that will work through the budget process both on the Senate and the House side. And so we’ll have multiple opportunities to fund budget priorities,” she said.

In a statement to 47ABC MDOT Spokesman David Broughton said “The Governor’s action will fully fund the planned increase in funding to local jurisdictions (from 15.6% to 18%)  through the highway user revenue grants program for FY 2025 only.  Reductions in FY 2026 and 2027 are still expected to occur.”