US Highway Trust Fund runs out of money this month

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:49 pm

That day is almost upon us.

Quote:

Transportation Dept almost out of highway funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Mary Peters says the federal highway trust fund will run out of money this month.

Peters blames the shortage of funds on the high price of gasoline, which has prompted Americans to drive less. And by driving less, they use less fuel and pay less in federal gasoline tax.

At a midday press conference Friday, Peters said the agency will have to delay payments to state road and bridge projects that the federal government is helping finance. ...

AP

DOT Press Release

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 12:53 pm

Quote:

To avoid future shortfalls, the Secretary said it was time to embrace new funding mechanisms that respond to today’s transportation challenges and are in keeping with national energy policies. “The current approach may have made sense 50 years ago, but it is ineffective and unsustainable when we are trying to reduce congestion and encouraging Americans to embrace more fuel-efficient cars,” she noted.

Toll interstates, anyone?

3aidlillahi · **Joined:** Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 1601

Quote:

but it is ineffective and unsustainable

Unfortunately, he's talking about the funding, not the actual system itself.

kpeavey · **Joined:** Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:00 am **Posts:** 1670

Govt funding problems and services curtailment, moving along according to the script

RSFB · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 315

This should be a pretty eye-opening article for any above-average MSM reader.

What's it gonna be? The government coughs up the money for months and years to come, or fuel taxes get increased?

There's also the possibility of reducing maintenance projects, of course.

vtsnowedin · **Joined:** Fri Jul 11, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 1308

A good time to repeal the federal gas tax altogether. Let the states raise theirs to what ever level they need and get congress out of the pork bis as far as highway projects go. You could get at least a thirty percent improvement in productivity without federal mandates and ear marks. Declareing them defense highways to build the interstate system in the fiftys was a thin ploy anyway and its about time the supreme court threw it out at last

burtonridr · **Joined:** Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:00 am **Posts:** 763

I vote for packed gravel roads, much cheaper

We are so freakin spoiled and waste so much money our paved roads here! Why does every single road have to be paved? I can understand freeways because of the rate of speed but neighborhood roads???? Plenty of other countries do just fine without pavement. Besides its boring... to flat and uneventful :lol:

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:43 pm

vtsnowedin wrote:

A good time to repeal the federal gas tax altogether. Let the states raise theirs to what ever level they need and get congress out of the pork bis as far as highway projects go. You could get at least a thirty percent improvement in productivity without federal mandates and ear marks. Declareing them defense highways to build the interstate system in the fiftys was a thin ploy anyway and its about time the supreme court threw it out at last

+1

RSFB · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 315

In 2007, the fund was projected to run out by 2009: link

green_achers · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:52 pm

Great news. Gives me just a little bit of hope that the whole system might, if not collapse, at least contract a lot before too much more damage is done.

Doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the buggers want to build another highway right across the middle of my family's land (we already have two highways, two county roads, and two gas pipelines.)

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:55 pm

RSFB wrote:

In 2007, the fund was projected to run out by 2009: link

Not a real surprise, considering the official inflation rate (as opposed to the real one).

Another government agency done in by its own numbersmithing. Almost elegant.

ReverseEngineer · **Joined:** Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 3861

emersonbiggins wrote:

Toll interstates, anyone?

Tolls can't work. If folks ALREADY can't afford to drive because of the cost of the gas, adding the cost of a toll to the drive pushes more people off the roads, thus you then have to raise the tolls higher, driving more people off the roads...

Simply stated, we can't afford the roads, the maintenance cost is too high. Without maintenance, they probably can function for a few more years getting more rutted and dangerous all the time.

Look at the positive side: No more lane closures for maintenance crews!
Reverse Engineer

RSFB · **Joined:** Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:00 am **Posts:** 315

ReverseEngineer wrote:

emersonbiggins wrote:

Toll interstates, anyone?

Tolls can't work. If folks ALREADY can't afford to drive because of the cost of the gas, adding the cost of a toll to the drive pushes more people off the roads, thus you then have to raise the tolls higher, driving more people off the roads...

They work here in Europe, where gas taxes are already much higher than USA's. Not all European countries have toll fees, but many do. Less people on the roads also means lower maintenance costs.

It's just a matter of finding a sweet spot. I don't discount the possibility of that sweet spot not being easy to find in the short term, though. Americans will have to get used to driving less (edit - or paying more), period.

heroineworshipper · **Posted:** Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:39 pm

It would be a lot easier if your government stopped dumping all its taxes on worthless mortgages.

Government buys oceanfront property in Arizona

emersonbiggins · **Posted:** Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:42 am

If tolling were instituted, it would provide an opportunity to correctly assess the amount of damage a typical commercial tractor-trailer does to the roadways, and price that use and damage accordingly. This might go a long ways towards ameliorating the deficiencies in the current trust-fund mechanism.

Of course, it also means our grocery bill would be higher, perhaps a lot higher. But what does that really mean in this day and age of 50% food inflation?

US Highway Trust Fund runs out of money this month

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