With highway programs squeezed by high construction costs, state departments of transportation say federal road funding must rise more than 80% by 2015 just to keep up with inflation. In a report released March 7, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials says that hitting the $72.8-billion target in 2015 would require the equivalent of a 10¢-per-gallon, two-step hike in the federal fuels tax.
The report is the first of six that AASHTO plans to release as it lays the groundwork for the successor to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. SAFETEA-LU won't expire until fall 2009, but transportation interests already are marshalling arguments to convince Congress to provide more money. Many observers are awaiting a congressionally mandated commission's report on surface transportation finance and policy study, expected around the end of this year.