Is the Highway Trust Fund About to Hit a Dead End?

American Legislator ^ | 4-18-14 | Steven Johnson

[ThethoughtsofGreg]

The Department of Transportation (DOT) released a report this past Tuesday showing that the Highway Trust Fund will run out of money by this August. The fund is the primary way by which the government maintains our roads and highways. While the fund received a $9.7 billion dollar infusion from the General Fund just after the start of this fiscal year, the fund’s outlays continue to outpace receipts and it will soon be in the red.

To be sure, part of the reason for this is that transportation infrastructure costs are on the rise. As the highways built in the 1960s and 70s start to hit the end of their expected life-cycle, many of our nation’s roads and highways will need to be repaired or rebuilt. While these legitimate infrastructure costs are rising, money from the fund is regularly wasted on projects that are uncritical, serve a relatively small portion of the populous, or take much longer than intended. The result is that only 62 cents of every dollar of fuel tax collected actually goes to building roads according to the Heritage Foundation. Because a significant portion of large-scale transportation infrastructure projects are financed through the federal fund, states have little incentive to prioritize the projects they take on or keep costs down on existing projects. The infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska is the classic example of this. $320 million was earmarked for a bridge from a small town to an island with a population of 50 people.

[okie01]

Where the ONLY frigging airport around is.

There is tons of traffic for the ferry there.

I wish the media would quit mis-characterizing that.

They're referring to Ketchikan, I believe it is. And the truth of the matter, as you point out, is that the airport is on the island.

However, isn't there a more cost-effective way of improving Ketchikan's access to its airport? A second ferry, perhaps.

The airport terminal is directly opposite the city and the channel is only a quarter-mile wide, so the ferry would probably be as quick as (or quicker) than the long, looping road trip required by a bridge.

For that matter, how many airports can you park your car within a quarter-mile of the terminal? The ferry is just playing the role of the bus.

The Highway Fund ought to gettem a second bus...

[backwoods-engineer]

Lemmeguess. The Highway "Trust" Fund has been looted like a slush fund for liberal do-gooderism.

The states should rebel immediately, and refuse to send another damn dollar to Fedgov for highways, and take over the Interstates themselves.