Day by day, the May 31 expiration date for the stopgap federal highway and transit funding law is getting closer. What worries construction executives and state transportation officials is that Congress has shown no signs of agreement on finding the tens of billions of dollars needed to fund a new multiyear bill.
Seeking to crack the deadlock,the American Road and Transportation Builders Association on March 12 proposed boosting the federal gasoline and diesel taxes by 15¢ per gallon. To offset the financial hit to motorists, it calls for a $90 annual rebate. The federal gas tax now is 18.4¢ and the diesel levy is 24.4¢; those rates took effect in October 1993.