Arkansas voters approved the renewal of the state’s highway bond program on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Arkansas New Bureau reported.
The vote stood at 82% favorable to 18% against, with 59 of 75 counties reporting unofficial results.
The bond program began in 1999. The renewal means the 4-cent state diesel tax hike passed in 1999 will be used to retire $575 million in bonds. The original program funded about $1 billion in interstate highway improvements in the state, and the renewal is expected to do about the same.
The renewal had the support of Gov. Mike Beebe, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Trucking Association and state and local Democratic and Republican government officials.
