FRANKFORT — The state road plan lawmakers approved last week calls for spending $74 million more in Fayette County over the next 25 months than Gov. Steve Beshear proposed in January.
The additional money — if it materializes — would largely go toward widening sections of New Circle Road and Georgetown Road in fiscal year 2012, which begins July 1, 2011. Other major projects that remained in the road plan include the widening of Leestown Road and Clays Mill Road and the extension of Newtown Pike and Citation Boulevard.
Beshear's plan called for spending $173 million on road projects in Fayette County for the fiscal year that ends June 30 and for the following two years. The special state legislative session that ended late Saturday night earmarked about $247 million in that time period for Fayette County road projects.
Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry, said the mayor's office has not had time to analyze the legislature's final plan and had no immediate comment.
Details of the $6.7 billion state road plan for fiscal years 2010-12 were emerging Tuesday, the first business day since the sixth and final day of the legislative session.
Legislators authorized borrowing more than $400 million for projects across the state. That is about $100 million more than the House and Senate had considered in this spring's regular legislative session.
Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, defended the additional spending.
"The road bonds are paid for by the Road Fund, and Road Fund dollars can't be used for general state government," he said. "Much of the bond payments are being paid by efficiencies in the Road Fund. Now is a good time to build roads because contract costs are down and roads are long-term investments that are directly tied to economic development even after they are built."
Despite the added money from bonds, some doubt the state will take in enough revenue to cover the nearly $2 billion in state money called for in the road plan.
"I don't think there will be enough money," said Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville. "It's just not going to happen."
