OKLAHOMA CITY – A member of the state House Transportation Committee is calling on the Legislature to take quick action and increase funding for some of Oklahoma's most needy roads.

State Rep. Jason Murphey, a member of the transportation committee conducting an interim study on Oklahoma road needs, said legislation he has authored could provide a significant boost to county road funding.

House Bill 1333, by Murphey, and Senate Bill 535, by state Sen. Patrick Anderson (R-Enid), would redirect money generated by motor vehicle tax collections away from the general revenue fund and instead earmark it for high-use county roads surrounding large metro areas.

High use county roads are defined as roads with an amount of traffic use similar to roads in Oklahoma and Tulsa County, but which are not funded at the same level as metro area roads because they are located in rural counties.

"In my time as a candidate and an elected official, I cannot recall meeting a single person who said that motor tax funds should continue to be spent for non-road related purposes," Murphey said.

"House Bill 1333 and Senate Bill 535 will ensure that more of these funds are used for paving roads."

"These roads and bridges take a pounding every day. In fact, 6,608 vehicles per day enter or leave Logan County on Broadway Road," said Mark Sharpton, chairman of the Logan County Board of Commissioners.

Sharpton, who also serves as the Chairman of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), brought his concerns to Murphey after seeing firsthand how state and federal funding discriminates against roads in rural areas.

"Frequently, high use roads in rural areas cannot qualify for funding through the Rural Economic Assistance Program because they are in areas with too much residential growth, and rarely do they qualify for federal urban area funds because they cannot compete with the population density of metro areas. In other words, we are falling through the cracks," Sharpton said.

According to US Census Bureau estimates, seven of the top eight counties showing growth in Oklahoma in the last six years are counties that surround metro areas. They include Rogers (16.7 percent), Canadian (15.6 percent), Wagoner (15.3 percent), McClain (11.9 percent), Grady (10.9 percent), Cleveland (9.9 percent) and Logan (9 percent). In comparison, Oklahoma County grew just 4.7 percent and Tulsa County grew just 2.6 percent during the same period.

"Even with recent reforms in the allotment of motor vehicle tax revenues, more than 50 percent of this money is still diverted for other non-road related purposes," Murphey said. "This money should be applied to Oklahoma's high use county roads and bridges."