With Olympia focused on slashing and streamlining to close a huge budget gap, talk of new investments might seem ill-timed, at best.
Yet when it comes to our state and local transportation systems, failure to address the serious funding problem we face borders on economic suicide. Revenues are not keeping up with the cost of maintaining, let alone improving, the system of roads and transit we depend on to fuel our economy by moving people and goods efficiently.
A 20-year plan released in December by the Washington State Transportation Commission spotlights the sobering reality that our transportation needs are growing as revenues are declining, and outlines a list of solutions that few will like, but are almost certainly necessary.
Given the depth of other state funding problems, this may not be the year for action on such proposals. It is, however, the right time to begin weighing them, publicly, at least setting the stage for action next year.
Perhaps the most significant problem is a drop in gasoline-tax revenue, which accounts for about 38 percent of state transportation funding. The welcome development of more fuel-efficient vehicles comes with a side-effect: less money to pay for roads, bridges and ferries. Higher fuel prices and a decrease in driving because of the recession have also eaten into gas-tax revenue.
Compounding that problem is the fact that the gas tax doesn’t rise with inflation. Neither do other state transportation fees, such as vehicle licenses and weight fees. Construction costs rise, but about 80 percent of the state’s direct transportation revenues don’t.
Sales tax revenue, a major source of transit funding, is also off substantially. Service has been cut throughout the Puget Sound region, another risk to economic growth. Shortfalls in the ferry system are severe and well-documented, especially when it comes to money to replace aging boats and facilities.
With gas consumption likely to continue falling — a good thing, for many reasons — funding will need to come from a variety of sources. Among the commission’s ideas, which echo those of a joint legislative committee:
•Index the gas tax to inflation in order to keep up with construction costs, and raise the base rate by a penny or so per gallon annually. Index license and permit fees, too.
•Adopt a fee on electric and other high-mileage vehicles, in lieu of gas taxes. Drivers of such cars should still have to pay for the roads they use.
•Give counties and cities more options to raise revenue for local roads and transit.
•Use tolls to pay for construction and long-term maintenance of large projects, and to manage traffic flow to minimize congestion.
Now is the time to begin talking in detail about such ideas. Broad community outreach and education is essential. Taxpayers must understand the need for ample investment in the transportation system, and be reasonably satisfied that their money is being well spent.
But waiting until some day far in the future to address these mounting needs is not a responsible option. We’ve come to that bridge, and it needs repair. Our state’s prosperity lies on the other side.
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