Voters OK transit ballot measures in several states

Voters in several U.S. communities yesterday approved various public transit and general transportation initiatives.

In Arlington County, Virginia, for instance, voters approved a bond measure for investing more than $75 million in transportation funding, including $44 million for capital improvements on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's system, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported.

Meanwhile, residents in Hillsborough County, Florida, approved a 1 percent sales tax to fund investments in public transit and transportation infrastructure. Forty-five percent of the revenue generated from the new sales tax is earmarked for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, which operates the TECO Line heritage streetcar system.

And in Connecticut, voters approved amending the state's constitution to ensure transportation revenue is spent on transportation projects. The so-called "lockbox" initiative will require all state taxes and fees imposed for transportation needs — including public transit and road improvements — to be spend only on those purposes, NBC Connecticut reported.

Finally, California voters rejected Proposition 6, a ballot measure would have overturned a recent state gas tax increase to pay for road maintenance and other transportation projects, The Sacramento Bee reported. The new taxes and fees are slated to generate about $5 billion each year over the next decade, with some of the funds going toward upgrades on the state's light-rail and bus systems, according to the newspaper.