Wyoming legislature passes bill to increase gas tax 10 cents per gallon to fund infrastructure repairs

1361569504With the President working on a Federal plan of attack on the country’s ailing infrastructure, many states are exploring their own solutions to the problem.

Last week, the Wyoming Senate passed legislation to increase the state’s motor fuels tax by 10 cents per gallon in order to fund highway improvements, Associated General Contractors reported. The bill passed with a vote of 18­-12.

The bill takes effect July 1 and is expected to generate approximately $72 million annually in revenue for road maintenance and improvements in 2014, of which approximately $47.4 million will be invested annually in state highways, $6.8 million in municipal streets and $16.4 million in county roads.

The House has already passed the bill. The next step is to send the bill to Governor Matt Mead, who has publicly expressed his support for the legislation.

In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Corbett has proposed a wholesale fuel tax designed to generate more than $5 billion over five years to improve roads, bridges and mass transit services, according to the Associated Press.

Though this would raise taxes on the fuel gas stations purchase, it is likely that the cost will be passed on to motorists at the pump at an increase of up to $2 a week.

Of Pennsylvania’s 40,000 miles of highway, one out of every five needs repaving or more serious repairs. Twenty percent of the state’s bridges are in need of repair as well.