Valadao Bill Proposes Increased Funding for Urgent Rural Road Repairs in Tulare County

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Congressman David Valadao has introduced the Farm-to-Market Road Improvement Act in the House of Representatives, aiming to secure additional federal resources for critical road repairs in the Central Valley, including Tulare County. The legislation, introduced on Tuesday, September 10, seeks to address the deteriorating conditions of rural roads that are vital to the region's agriculture and the nation's food supply chain.

The proposed bill would allocate 10% of the funding from the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program specifically for farm-to-market roads. These roads, as defined by the bill, are those within counties that have an annual agricultural production value of at least $1 billion and an agricultural production density of at least $500,000 per square mile.

“The Central Valley plays a critical role in the security of our nation’s food supply, but after years of wear and tear from heavy trucks transporting the food that feeds the world, many roads are in desperate need of repair,” Congressman Valadao said.

The bill has garnered support from other Central Valley representatives, including Congressmen Jim Costa and Vince Fong, who are co-sponsoring the legislation. The funding would target areas like Tulare County, which reported an agricultural output of $8.6 billion in 2022, easily qualifying it as a farm-to-market county under the bill's criteria.

Tulare County Supervisor Dennis Townsend highlighted the challenges the county faces due to the heavy use of rural roads by agricultural vehicles. "Rural roads in Tulare County are often traveled by heavy trucks carrying loads of up to 80,000 pounds, which causes significant wear and tear," Townsend explained. He noted that many roads suffer from potholes, cracks, and washboarding, all of which require costly repairs.

Townsend also emphasized the disparity in road maintenance funding between rural and urban areas, pointing out that Tulare County receives about $7,200 per mile in state funding to maintain its 3,400 miles of roads, while Los Angeles County, with roughly 3,000 miles of roads, receives $78,000 per mile due to the state’s population-based funding formula.

“We have been requesting, almost begging the state to change the formula to give a nod to actual miles maintained, but there’s almost no traction on that,” Townsend said. He described the additional federal funding proposed in Valadao’s bill as “very helpful” and expressed hope that it could ease the county’s budget pressures and allow for the maintenance of other roads that may not be classified as farm-to-market roads.

If passed, the Farm-to-Market Road Improvement Act would provide much-needed financial support to improve the infrastructure that is crucial to the Central Valley's agriculture and, by extension, to the nation's food supply. The bill will now move forward for further discussion and debate in the House of Representatives.