The Highway Needs and Financing Committee of the South Dakota Legislature recently wrapped up its summer long series of meetings by proposing nearly one hundred million dollars in tax and fee increases for state, county and local road maintenance and construction.

That may have a rocky road in the 2015 session.

Senator Bill Van Gerpen of Tyndall, a member of the Appropriations Committee, says that could be a tough sell…

 

Van Gerpen says he hears about the issues that counties are having with road upkeep…

 

Van Gerpen says increasing road costs are getting ahead of the money available to fix things…

 

Committee members said that even one hundred million dollars falls short of what is actually needed to keep up with road construction.