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The cost of maintaining i Virginia s 52,000-mile state i highway system will increase i about $20 million and reach $ 196.8 million in the 1980-81 i fiscal year according to the i highways and transportation i department. -
In addition $46.4 million ‘ has been budgeted to pay I cities and towns for local 5 street maintenance; the localities perform, and $26 million has been earmarked to finish paying for winter and flood damage that occurred the past two years.
Altogether that means road, bridge and local street maintenance expenses will amount to a record $269.2 million, or nearly one-third of the state's total spending for ■ highways. Six years ago maintenance of the state road system, along with the street payments to municipalities, represented just over 20 percent of the highway budget. It’s been climbing steadily. C. O. Leigh, the highway and transportation department's m ajjj t e n a n c e engineer, said 4he increase has resulted from three factors. These include an in flat ion rate averaging ; approximately 10 percent annually the past seven years and reaching about 18 > percent this year in mainfc tenance costs, with sharp f- rises for asphalt products, j Further, he said, the state’s £ road system is growing r gradually each year with % completion of new facilities, f and what isn't new is slowly 5 getting older, requiring more if attention.
| The 1977 General V/ Assembly directed the i department to give first b priority to paying main% tenance costs in preparing its i) annual budget, in order to ^ protect the public’s multibillion-dollar investment in ^ the highway system, Leigh said. As maintenance expenses increase, however, the amount left for construction declines, since both operations are finance from the same budget.
Higher maintenance costs was one of the problems cited by the highway and transportation commission earlier this year, along with inflation and revenue shortfalls, in proposing the General Assembly provide additional revenue. The legislature increased the motor fuel tax by two cents a gallon to shore up the lagging construction program.
Of the $196.8 million allocated for maintenance of the state road system in the f 1980-81 fiscal year, about one-half, or $97.9 million, is k for the secondary road system. Maintenance of the primary system is expected to i
81.6%