Tolls on the Rise as Highway Funding Dries Up

A recent blog post by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program highlights the pressing transportation and infrastructure challenges facing cities and suburbs, in the United States and around the world. The study shows that across the U.S.:

(1)  Tolling mileage is up, and is growing faster than total system mileage;

(2)  Toll roads “are rising in importance on a national scale”;

(3)  A variety of new toll projects “are moving forward with the aim of expanding transportation options and reducing congestion”; and

(4)  “Over time, tolls are becoming a fixture across many regions, especially as federal policymakers are reluctant to raise general revenue to pay for transportation projects.” 

IBTTA is sharing this post with Brookings’ permission. It reinforces IBTTA’s message that tolled facilities are increasing across the U.S., providing greater mobility to customers and greater flexibility to state and local governments to fund their transportation needs.

The Brookings post first appeared on their blog, The Avenue, on April 6, 2015. The study was conducted by Joseph Kane, Senior Policy Research Assistant, Patrick Sabol, Senior Policy/Research Assistant, and Robert Puentes, Senior Fellow, all with the Metropolitan Policy Program. 

As uncertainties abound over federal transportation spending and another shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund looms, states and localities are stepping up to address their infrastructure challenges head on. By raising gas taxes, launching ballot initiatives, and forging public-private partnerships, regions are exploring a range of strategies to finance a growing backlog of projects.

Seldom mentioned, however, is the increased proliferation of tolls emerging throughout the country’s road network to support new capacity and other ongoing improvements. Please click here to read the entire post.

Sign up today for IBTTA’s 2015 Transportation Finance & Road Usage Charging Conference, April 26-28 in Portland, OR.