Gov. Mike Huckabee announced this week that a special election, scheduled for Dec. 13, voters would decide whether to extend bonds for highway projects in Arkansas.

If voters approve the bond extensions, Huckabee said he would call a special legislative session in late December or early January to dedicate dollars to roads.

The effort would not change tax rates, but would continue current funding.

“We’ve made a great deal of progress in Arkansas during the past decade,” Huckabee said during a news conference at the capitol. “This will allow us to continue that progress with no additional taxes.”

Voters would be asked to approve the extension of the roads plan, which would be paid for by the same 4-cent-per-gallon diesel fuel tax boost approved in 1999.

Six years ago, voters overwhelmingly approved a five-year, $1 billion interstate highway reconstruction plan that is set to expire next year.

Since it was approved, the governor said, Arkansas has improved 356 miles of interstate highways at a cost of almost $1 billion.

“By next year, 73 percent of the state’s interstate system will be in good or very good condition with only 14 percent rated poor or mediocre,” Huckabee said.

The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department has yet to decide how the new revenue would be spent, if approved.

Randy Ort, spokesman for the department, told The Morning News the agency has said $900 million is needed for interstate projects during the next decade.