As Congress considers a new federal transportation funding bill, a South Dakota county leader says local roads and bridges remain a critical need.

U.S. lawmakers have introduced the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan, $580 billion plan to reauthorize surface transportation programs for five years.

Lawrence County Commissioner Eric Jennings said road construction costs are rising while funding remains tight. He said county roads are essential to getting people where they need to go.

“You can drive up and down the interstate on a federal highway, you can get off on the state highway, but to actually finish where you need to go, you’re probably going to be on a county road,” Jennings said.

Jennings said Lawrence County owns and maintains more than a third of its public roads and bridges, which takes a significant portion of the county’s annual budget.

The current federal transportation law, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, expires Sept. 30. Congress must pass a new bill to continue funding those programs.

The new bill includes more money for the Bridge Formula Program, which helps repair and replace highway bridges. Jennings said if the bill passes in its current form, the federal government would cover more of the cost, leaving counties to pay less.

He said the measure also includes more discretionary funding, allowing counties to make their own decisions about which projects to prioritize.

“The counties know best what needs to be repaired, and having some discretionary funding that we can put those dollars to good use, we are very effective and efficient at putting those dollars to use,” Jennings said. “We can get jobs done down at our level.”

The bill is before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. If it passes, it will advance to the full House.