From roads and bridges to transit upgrades, voters nationwide made calls on transportation-related issues Nov. 4. With billions on the line, Land Line tracked the local and county measures that mattered. Here’s how the key initiatives scored at the polls.
Mecklenburg County, N.C.
Referendum: Mecklenburg County
Voters in North Carolina’s second-largest county approved raising the Mecklenburg County sales tax. The 1% increase will fund major transportation projects.
Approval on the ballot raises the county’s total sales tax rate from 7.25% to 8.25%. The change takes effect on July 1, 2026.
An estimated $19.4 billion will be allocated over 30 years for transportation work. Projects will include road improvements, light rail expansion and increased bus service.
Road projects will receive 40% of the new funds. Rail projects will also receive 40% of the funds. The region’s bus system will get 20% of the new revenue.
Revenue for transit will finance the construction of high-capacity transit corridors across the county.
South Carolina
Referendum: Anderson County
Ballots in Anderson County included a referendum to benefit transportation funding.
In fall 2024, voters rejected a proposal to add a 1% capital projects sales tax for seven years.
The 2025 proposal called for raising the county tax by 1% for eight years. It was estimated to raise $380 million from May 2026 through April 2034.
County funds would be applied solely for transportation purposes. The county has a list of 306 road and bridge projects that would benefit.
Produce, prescriptions and fuel would be exempt from the penny tax.
Voters once again rejected the tax.
Question 1: Lancaster County
Lancaster County voters again rejected a penny tax for infrastructure.
For the second year in a row, ballots in the county directly south of Charlotte, N.C., included a question to widen and improve local highways, roads, streets and bridges.
The $253 million transportation referendum sought to benefit projects over the next decade.
The failed 2024 question allocated $405 million over 15 years.
Proposed projects and expenditures included major road widenings, resurfacing, roundabout installations and intersection improvements.
Colorado
Measure 2A: City of Denver
Denver voters approved a bond package to fund road repairs and reconstruction.
The five-part borrowing package will finance about $950 million in capital infrastructure projects across the state’s largest city.
Measure 2A accounts for the largest portion of the bond package. Passage of the measure will fund $441 million for transportation and mobility projects.
Projects that will benefit include street improvements to aid traffic flow. Multi-modal access will also be established.
Replacements and upgrades to traffic signals, streets, intersections and other mobility improvements are included.
Question 2A and Question 2B: City of Boulder
Boulder voters approved two ballot questions.
Question 2A permanently extends the current sales tax. The 0.3% tax funds capital improvement projects include roads and “critical bridge replacements.”
The tax is estimated to raise $15 million yearly.
Question 2B increases the city’s debt limit for capital projects by up to $262 million.
The combined funding will help the city to address a $380 million backlog of maintenance and repair work.
Issue 1A: Larimer County
Larimer County ballots again included a question about whether to implement a sales tax to fund transportation.
Voters last fall rejected a 0.15% increase to the 8% county sales tax. The increase was proposed to help fund road maintenance and improvements.
Voters were again asked to approve a 15-cent levy. The additional tax would not be collected on items like groceries, prescriptions and fuel.
Once again, voters rejected creating a dedicated transportation funding source for 15 years. The tax was estimated to raise about $15 million annually. The money would have been used for roads, bridges and intersections in unincorporated areas of the county.
County officials said they need about $22 million per year to maintain roads and bridges.
Texas
Proposition A: City of Port Arthur
Voters in Port Arthur rejected a $92 million bond proposal to benefit the multimodal port.
Bonds would have provided funds for projects, including replacing the 100,000-square-foot cargo holding area and building a new cargo shed.
Passage would have allowed the port to use part of the bonds as a local match to $58 million in state and federal grants.
Homeowners in the city would have contributed about 20% of the bond costs. Industrial, commercial and other taxpayers would have covered the remaining 80%. LL
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