The state needs to spend at least $300 million more per year than it currently does to properly maintain 100,000 miles of state and local roads, Arkansas' top highway official said last week.

Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, told the state's Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance that the department now spends a little more than $400 million annually in state money on road and bridge construction, but that number needs to go up by $200 million for state highways and $100 million for local roads, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. Current revenue falls way short of the needs, he said.

"We are not making any advances in our ability of improving our system," Flowers told the panel. "As a matter of fact, we are short of maintaining our system."

The committee decided to create two subcommittees to study different approaches to raising additional transportation funds. One subcommittee will look at possible new revenue sources while the other will examine redirecting some current sales-tax proceeds to transportation.