Photo by
Sharat Ganapati
is licensed under CC BY 2.0
It’s starting to sound like a broken record, but, once again, Congress is facing the deadline for piecing together a solution for continued funding of the federal Highway Trust Fund. The current stop-gap measure passed in July is set to expire on Oct. 29. And, across the country, government entities are piecing together solutions to funding gaps as a result of federal inaction.
State and local government officials are tired of waiting on a more permanent solution instead of the dozens of short-term patches that have been affixed to the fund since 2009. Some states have been forced to institute their own gas tax increases to ensure funding for much-needed transportation projects. Providence, Rhode Island, is considering a highway toll on large trucks rather than an increase in the state’s 33-cents-per-gallon gas tax.
In Arizona, state officials predict that the state transportation system needs $88.9 billion for transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance by 2035. The state’s auditor general recently released a report that includes possible transportation funding options, among them gas tax increases, a tax on vehicle miles traveled, diverting money from the state’s general fund and then increasing the sales tax to make up that amount in the budget and, of course, the increasingly unpopular incorporation of toll roads.
Speaking of toll roads, the nation’s first “weekend recreational” toll lane is about to become a reality in Colorado. Beginning in December, skiers at resorts such as those in Vail and Aspen can make their trip back to the Denver area in a little less traffic by paying a toll for a newly minted 13-mile express toll lane. The lane is a former shoulder on eastbound Interstate 70 that is expected to shave 30 minutes of in-traffic time.
Not only is the project the first of its kind as a weekend recreational toll lane, but it also is one of a few that will charge a sliding scale toll – likely to be from $3 to $30, with the rates on the higher end of the scale charged during periods of the highest congestion. As the only direct route from Vail back to the Denver area and the Denver International Airport, hours-long backups on I-70 are not uncommon.
Some of the businesses and resorts along the route say the traffic jams cost them nearly $840 million a year in lost business. And, some would-be skiers are giving up Colorado skiing for the snow in other states, which could significantly impact the state and regional economy.
The state of Colorado took out a $24.6 million loan for its part of this 13-mile, $72 million project, and toll revenue will be used to pay back the loan. In this case, the toll road is a creative solution to traffic congestion and funding shortages. It’s also a costly one for the motoring public.
But, it’s not just about traffic. A report by Economic Development Research Group notes that if the United States does not begin a long-range plan for investing in the nation’s infrastructure, by 2020, there will be 877,000 jobs lost in this country. Motorists will spend triple the amount of time they currently spend in traffic, earn an average of $700 per year less and spend $360 more on transportation repairs. Transportation costs for businesses will increase by $430 billion, exports will drop at a cost of $28 billion and the gross domestic product will fall $897 billion short of what is expected.
It’s time for a long-term fix for the nation’s serious transportation infrastructure issues.