Given the lack of a cohesive energy & transportation policy in the U.S, and that goes back to when the Dept. of Energy was conceived... the prospect of seeing much needed highway projects completed in a timely manner grows slimmer each day.


The nation's transportation system of railways, highways, the Interstate system, state and county roads, bridges and byways... needs major repairs to existing infrastructure and construction of new roads too. We can probably all name two or three major thoroughfares at least that have needed work for decades.


When and if any of those projects that are important to you ever get past the politics and red tape that keep them dormant longer than Sleeping Beauty...relies on capable engineering crews and responsible financial oversight of federal and state money. Your money.


As more and more projects require a blend of local, state and federal funding, that in turn requires tapping funding sources that, for many reasons, are shrinking. The federal gas tax (that you've been paying for decades) of 18.4 cents per gallon is supposed to ensure the funding of federal projects. But the collective costs have exceeded what's been paid into it and it's projected to be depleted fairly soon. In the next three months Congress will have to vote to either continue the federal gas tax at its current 18.4 cents per gallon rate, or, perhaps let it expire on March 31.



Should that happen, you cold see your state gas tax increase to shoulder the difference. At the same time, that could put your state in a position of sole resonsibility for highway projects.



Before you decide whether that would work well for you, consider how your state might manage construction and costs. Ultimately, we're smply talking about cost-shifting and that means we the people pay for it whether it comes from a federal or state tax fund.



Some states have a track record of exorbitant overruns on cost estimates and the actual costs of "completed" highway projects can run 20, 30, 40 percent higher... without penalty. And they're not just the states with strong labor unions... Florida is notorious for delays and cost overruns (and it's not as if you can blame it on the weather!) What happpens when you remove federal oversight from the process? That's anybody's guess.



But to get a better idea of which states are the most capable, you may want to check out a report by Gannett Newspapers and the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials.

State & Highway Transportation Report