WASHINGTON: Are you willing to spend $6.62 more a month in federal gasoline taxes to get the nation’s roads and bridges in good condition. How about spending $5.50 a month more just to keep transportation infrastructure from deteriorating below its current “D” rating? Or would you pay an extra $2.50 a month to get Indiana’s gas tax back to the buying power it had when the tax was last raised in 2003.
The federal and state shortfall in transportation funding has been accelerating for years, and decision-makers are at a crossroads. The importance of the issue was driven home recently by the closure of 37 miles of I-65 because of an unstable bridge. A blue ribbon panel created by Gov. Mike Pence to study the issue used phrases such as “grim picture” and “revenue is not sustainable” in its report last year.
Indiana, which already spends less per capita than most states on highways and transit, is not collecting enough gas taxes to adequately maintain its roads and bridges, much less pay for the new projects the state deems a priority. And this is despite the nearly $4 billion infusion in transportation funds the state received from leasing the Indiana Toll Road in 2006.
