Tag: transportation funding: Page 44

Roadbuilding

California to test feasibility of mileage tax

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation into law that will allow the state to implement a pilot program to test whether charging a road usage fee — or mileage-based tax — could effectively replace fuel taxes as the primary means to fund highways and road projects. The legislation calls for the pilot program to […]

October 15, 2014

Business

With Prop 1, Texas may break the logjam, spur innovation in highway funding

In November, Texans will go to the polls and vote on Proposition 1, which, in a nutshell, proposes to take half the money from the state’s gas and oil revenues and direct it toward highway construction and maintenance. Everything in this bill is sure to please the construction industry. And everything I’ve read over the […]

October 14, 2014

Roadbuilding

Tolling becoming the solution of choice for most Americans

Every day it seems like more Americans are beginning to understand the importance of transportation funding. That was again evident when HTNB Corporation released details of its recent tolling survey. According to the survey, 79 percent (more than 3 in 4) of Americans are in favor of a toll on a non-tolled surface transportation facility if […]

September 16, 2014

Business

The LA Sheriff’s Dept. melted thousands of guns to recycle them as road construction material

Thousands of handguns, rifles and other weapons have been destroyed to eventually be used in construction of roads and bridges. Nearly 5,000 weapons were melted and converted into steel rebar as part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s 21st annual Gun Melt event. More than 178,000 weapons have been destroyed as part of the event […]

August 28, 2014

Business

Recent toll road poll proves nothing; private financing of public roads is still a bad idea

The Reason Foundation and the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates recently traded jabs over a poll that purports to show Americans prefer toll roads as a solution to our declining transportation infrastructure. Not unexpectedly, the Reason-Rupe Poll  found favor with Reason’s longstanding position advocating toll roads. The Alliance shot back with a press release citing a […]

August 22, 2014

Business

Bursting bubble of big tobacco financing gives glimpse of road building’s future without a gas tax increase

Last week I wrote about how states that engage in public-private partnerships (P3s) and other types of debt and bond financing would create short term gains and long term disaster for the road building industry. This weekend I read an article on ProPublica, an independent journalism site, that shows how the exact same thing—only using […]

August 12, 2014

Business

Toll roads, P3s and creative financing will bring short-term gain, long-term disaster for the road building industry

For the last half-century gas and diesel taxes collected at the pump have been the primary source of funding for almost all our highway infrastructure. But Congress hasn’t  increased the gas tax or adjusted it for inflation since 1992. Anti-tax advocates claim this as a victory, but it’s not. With the highway trust fund running […]

August 1, 2014

Business

Congressional showdown ends with Senate passing House’s $10.8 billion highway funding patch

The Senate on Thursday passed a 10-month funding bill that will prevent the Highway Trust Fund from going broke until the end of May. The bill was first passed by the House earlier this month, and is now just a presidential signature away from becoming law. The bill’s clearance in Congress comes after a showdown […]

August 1, 2014

Business

House passes $10.8 billion quick fix as highway construction funding nears insolvency

The House on Tuesday passed a nearly $11 billion quick fix that would stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the primary source of federal funding for road construction and repairs. The bill passed a week after the White House and transportation officials urged lawmakers to try and find a long-term […]

July 16, 2014

Business

Dire States hits the road to drum up support for Texas highway construction initiative

Nearly 180 years ago the toughest hombres ever to ride a horse and carry a rifle blazed a trail across Texas, conquering impossible odds to turn that hardscrabble land into one of the country’s most prosperous states. Today, if there are any hombres left, they’re probably stuck in traffic. One person who is helping build […]

July 15, 2014

Business

House panel’s proposed $10.5 billion stopgap for highway funding meets disapproval of Senators, AEM

The House Ways and Means Committee has proposed a stopgap to fund transportation projects for eight months, but Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) are opposing the plan. According to a report from The Hill, the Ways and Means Committee have proposed a $10.5 billion, eight-month funding bill that would extend transportation funding […]

July 10, 2014

Roadbuilding

House panel proposes $10.5 billion stopgap for transportation; Sens. Boxer, Carper oppose plan

The House Ways and Means Committee has proposed a stopgap to fund transportation projects for eight months, but Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) are opposing the plan. According to a report from The Hill, the Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday proposed a $10.5 billion, eight-month funding bill that would extend transportation […]

July 9, 2014