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Tolling Points

The Future of Highway Finance: Planning Our Next Move

By: 
Bill Cramer
Category: 
Stories

Anyone who’s been involved with highway infrastructure for any length of time knows that, when it comes to funding and financing, the campaign never ends.

That means the period right after a modest but notable legislative win is exactly the right time to start laying the groundwork for the next one. Which is why IBTTA’s 84th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 11-14 in Denver, features a couple of must-attend sessions on the future of highway finance.

“Even though the FAST Act offers a short-term reprieve, everyone agrees it is not the silver bullet to fix U.S. transportation infrastructure funding in the long run,” the conference program states. “Congress must still work hard to find alternatives to the fuel tax. So what’s next?”

The IBTTA Annual Meeting is exactly the right place to be to hear innovative strategies that will translate into effective, durable answers to that question.

A Broader Set of Solutions

IBTTA member agencies have already pioneered the familiar mix of user financing models—from tolling, to congestion charges, to mileage-based usage fees—that deliver safety and reliability while federal funding declines. In a breakout session aptly named Alternative Fuel for Thought, panelists and participants will consider whether a wider series of answers is just around the corner.

“If so, how will these models evolve and coexist?” the program asks. “Will there be a one-size-fits-all alternative or a set of options for states to pick and choose from? What role will the states play?”

And as new business models and breakthrough technologies disrupt the transportation sector, who will drive change, how will tolling respond and what will its role be?

Voices from the Financial Sector

No look at highway finance is complete without a deep dive into the strategies the industry’s financial partners use to analyze projects and assess credit risk. Show Me the Money! is the title of a breakout session that will focus in large part on the effects of variable tolling on an agency’s revenue projections, how availability payments can help enable project finance, and how user financing plays out from a state perspective.

And as is always the case at any IBTTA gathering, the panel presentations will be just the beginning of the opportunity to discuss emerging issues and share new strategies. With your colleagues gathered from around the world, the Annual Meeting is your best opportunity to tap into the expert knowledge that has made tolling one of the most powerful tools in the highway infrastructure funding toolbox.

Register today to attend IBTTA’s 84th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 11-14, 2016 in Denver.

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