Massachusetts faces $1 billion annual transportation funding gap, state report shows

The Republican ^

[matt04]

Massachusetts needs an additional $1.02 billion a year over the next 10 years to maintain and upgrade its transportation system, according to a plan released Monday by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Transportation Secretary Richard Davey unveiled the 10-year plan for the state’s transportation system at an event at UMass Boston. “It is clear to us that what our customers are asking for is more,” Davey said. “What they want is more reliability, they want more services. We have to find a way to do this.”

The plan would require $13 billion in additional revenue over the next decade, more than doubling the state’s current $12 billion transportation budget. That does not cover the entire cost of the proposed expansions, which will be funded over a 25-year period, Davey said.

Davey did not suggest how the state plans to raise the additional revenue. Gov. Deval Patrick will unveil his proposal on Wednesday, which will then go to the state legislature. Patrick said he accepts the department’s plan. “The results confirm two things,” Patrick said. “There is not sufficient funding to support the system we have today, and second, there is not sufficient funding for the system the public wants and the Commonwealth needs.”

[matt04]

Let me guess, the only solution will be to raise taxes.

[omega4179]

Yes because Government Transportation is redistribution from hard working suburbanites to the lazy cities.

[ex91B10]

"...the only solution will be to raise taxes."

No, fares. And the bozos in Boston will scream bloody murder when they jack the fares up to cover the increased services.

Bostonian's want everything as long as they don't have to pay for it.

[Howindependent]

This is nothing but another attempt by the tax and spend crowd to get everybody conditioned to the perpetual need to raise the gas tax. Unfortunately, Boston will sell the ploy to the public transportation (MBTA) crowd to approve it, with little money going beyond Rt 128.

[BobL]

“Let me guess, the only solution will be to raise taxes.”

No, IDIOT!!! The solution will be to only charge people that drive...about 10 cents per mile (more, once people have ‘adjusted’). The idea of driving for free will soon end.

[sten]

and I’m 100% certain I’ll be paying for their crappy union roads from Florida

[Howindependent]

What planet do you live on? Nobody drives for free, and never has. The roads are paid by taxes that everyone pays. The gas tax is a tax that only drivers pay. BTW, do you know that Cities and Towns pay the same gas tax as the general public? Please dude, think. The politicians want more money to pay for things that THEY want.

[DBrow]

Coupla things. First, what are they paving the streets with?

Second, what have they been doing with all the money before now, that everything is in a critical/crisis state now?

[glorgau]

Second, what have they been doing with all the money before now, that everything is in a critical/crisis state now?

They dug a bunch of holes in the ground and poured in every cent they had. Driving around the North Shore Boston area one can see that there are decades worth of deferred maintenance on the roads. the big dig put the state in an enormous hole.

[BobL]

“What planet do you live on? Nobody drives for free, and never has.”

Hell, I know that. My point is that A LOT of so-called ‘conservatives’ believe that if you’re not paying tolls, you’re getting a “free ride”, and those conservatives DEMAND tolls - and really don’t care if they go to foreign companies (as in Texas, IL, and Indiana), or simply to the government (as in many states).

But they CANNOT seem to understand that the gas tax is a USER FEE and is about as close as one can get, without real-time tracking, to making sure that the users of the roads actually pay for them. They just CANNOT comprehend that the cost of upgrading and expanding highways HAS DOUBLED since the last round of gas tax increases (at least in Texas and at the federal level), and that if we do not permit the gas tax to keep up with inflation, we will get MUCH, MUCH, WORSE outcomes - as in parts of Texas and the Indiana Toll Road.

[jennychase]

Raise tax, it is Massachusetts citizens patriotic duty to pay.

[bicyclerepair]

Just put more “taxes-are-good” juice in the water.

There’s something in the water that makes that state as whacked as it is.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Here is my deficit reduction plan. Give up the “Smart Growth” ideology where straight roads are made crooked, crooked roads made more crooked, sidewalk jetties that take out car lanes, bike lanes that take out tax paying car lanes, roundabouts that shrink street area at intersections, speed bumps that beat on vehicle axles, and idiotic street graphitte such as painted islands, forced turn lanes, and impossible to see directives (forced turn arrows hidden in lines of cars ahead). It's a spending problem. We are buying useless $h!t for roadways that increases congestion and travel time losing money for the payers as well as costing money.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Here is my deficit reduction plan. Give up the “Smart Growth” ideology where straight roads are made crooked, crooked roads made more crooked, sidewalk jetties that take out car lanes, bike lanes that take out tax paying car lanes, roundabouts that shrink street area at intersections, speed bumps that beat on vehicle axles, and idiotic street graphitte such as painted islands, forced turn lanes, and impossible to see directives (forced turn arrows hidden in lines of cars ahead). It's a spending problem. We are buying useless $h!t for roadways that increases congestion and travel time losing money for the payers as well as costing money.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Here is my deficit reduction plan. Give up the “Smart Growth” ideology where straight roads are made crooked, crooked roads made more crooked, sidewalk jetties that take out car lanes, bike lanes that take out tax paying car lanes, roundabouts that shrink street area at intersections, speed bumps that beat on vehicle axles, and idiotic street graphitte such as painted islands, forced turn lanes, and impossible to see directives (forced turn arrows hidden in lines of cars ahead). It's a spending problem. We are buying useless $h!t for roadways that increases congestion and travel time losing money for the payers as well as costing money.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Here is my deficit reduction plan. Give up the “Smart Growth” ideology where straight roads are made crooked, crooked roads made more crooked, sidewalk jetties that take out car lanes, bike lanes that take out tax paying car lanes, roundabouts that shrink street area at intersections, speed bumps that beat on vehicle axles, and idiotic street graphitte such as painted islands, forced turn lanes, and impossible to see directives (forced turn arrows hidden in lines of cars ahead). It's a spending problem. We are buying useless $h!t for roadways that increases congestion and travel time losing money for the payers as well as costing money.

[MileHi]

“It is clear to us that what our customers are asking for is more,” Davey said. “What they want is more reliability, they want more services. We have to find a way to do this.”

snip

Davey did not suggest how the state plans to raise the additional revenue.

Hey, Daaaaavy! How about you get your "customers" to pay the full tab. Then we will see how much they really want their $52 (or whatever it REALLY costs) ride across town.

[Makana]

“Davey did not suggest how the state plans to raise the additional revenue.”

Talk radio chatter last week mentioned a 15 cent hike in the gasoline price. Might have been a trial balloon, but High Test is $3.95 this week.