Montgomery, AL – The Alabama Senate has approved a $1 billion road construction program that proponents expect to create jobs in the construction industry.
The Senate voted 25-10 Thursday for the proposed constitutional amendment by Democratic Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe. The bill still must pass the House and be approved by Alabama voters in the general election Nov. 2.
Barron's bill would take $100 million per year for 10 years from a state savings account called the Alabama Trust Fund. The money would be used for road and bridge construction statewide.
The bill is being pushed by the Alabama Road Builders Association, which says it will provide thousands of jobs about the time that highway funding from the federal stimulus program is running out.
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