IBTTA Statement on Congressional Passage of Funding Extension for the Highway Trust Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 31, 2014
CONTACT: Kristofer Eisenla, LUNA+EISENLA media
[email protected] | 202-670-5747 (mobile)

WASHINGTON, DC – Upon today’s congressional passage of legislation to extend funding for the Highway Trust Fund through May 2015, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) released the following statement from Executive Director and CEO, Patrick D. Jones:   

“While the states are justifiably relieved that both Houses of Congress passed the Highway Trust Fund patch today, there is much more work to do.  We call on Congress to develop a robust vision and a long-term plan to address the critical funding needs of our nation’s surface transportation system before the current patch expires in May 2015.

“Congress should consider all viable options for funding our nation’s infrastructure.

“Like other transportation advocates, we support an increase in the federal gasoline and diesel excise taxes, which have not been increased since 1993, to preserve the integrity of the federal Highway Trust Fund and provide funding certainty to states. 

“In addition, we urge Congress to lift the ban on tolling existing lanes of interstate highways for purposes of reconstruction, as the Obama Administration proposed in its GROW AMERICA Act.

“Rebuilding the interstate highways will cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next several decades and current funding sources alone are not equal to the task. States should have the flexibility to use tolling and other viable funding and financing options that make the most sense for them.”

In 2013, IBTTA launched Moving America Forward, a public awareness campaign that highlights the benefits of tolling to policy-makers, the media, and other interested parties. For additional information on the campaign, including fact-sheets, background documents and other materials, please click, here.

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About IBTTA
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in more than 20 countries on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st century. For more information, visit www.ibtta.org or join us on Twitter @IBTTA or #TollRoads.