Resason Foundation proposes per-mile tolling of U.S. Interstate system as a “fair” source of infrastructure funding

Interstate 90 in BostonInterstate 90 in Boston

According to a report from our sister site Better Roads, the Reason Foundation, citing of the Internet Highway System, has proposed tolling interstates and charging 3.5 cents per mile for cars and 14 cents per mile for trucks.

The Interstate system makes up only 2.5 percent of all miles of highway in the U.S., but carries 25 percent of the total miles traveled by Americans. Because of that traffic, it’s estimated that $1 trillion could be raised through tolling to fix the country’s crumbling infrastructure.

One of the many reasons outlined at Better Roads for the shift to Interstate tolling is that it’s a fair way of raising funding for the upkeep of the country’s infrastructure: Per-mile tolling costs those who use the Interstates most more than those who use it the least.

The main problem is that federal law currently prohibits tolling on existing highway lanes that are already free. Then there’s the problem of convincing the American public to pay. That being said, a survey done in May found that more Americans would rather pay a toll than have fuel taxes increased.

Be sure to read the full report over at Better Roads.