Virginia's Incredible Shrinking Construction Budget
Virginia will run out of state money to build new roads in about five years, Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton told the Chamber of Commerce’s newly established transportation committee Wednesday. Eroding motor fuels taxes and high maintenance costs are consuming the transportation budget. (Read the Times-Dispatch story here.)
The state’s dilemma is familiar to readers of the Bacon’s Rebellion blog. (See “The Crossover Conundrum.”) Most of the information detailed in the T-D article has been reported here already. But writer Peter Bacque did find a few new wrinkles — most notably the astounding fact that funds for new construction will be gone in five years. I don’t remember anyone making that point at the last Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting.
The other nugget is this: The McDonnell administration, wrote Bacque, is “considering seeking additional revenue sources dedicated to maintenance.”
What revenue sources would those be? More tolls? Connaughton has already rolled out his proposal for tolls on Interstate 95. An increase in the gas tax? Connaughton gave no hint of such a thing at the September CTB meeting.
I am torn. Clearly, the fiscal situation is unsustainable. Virginia needs more money to build a transportation system capable of carrying the state through the 21st century. Trouble is, there is no system for coordinating transportation investments with land use decisions, nor is there a methodology for prioritizing projects on the basis of Return on Investment (measuring payback in terms of congestion mitigated, improved safety, economic development and environmental impact). Many Virginians believe that funding decisions are made on the basis of ideological and political considerations, not to benefit to the taxpaying public. Until trust is restored, there will be limited support for higher taxes and fees.
— JAB
