Posted on 11/10/2015 6:02:09 AM PST by thackney
Earlier this year, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) reached its lowest level in decades, ending July at $6.1 billion dollars. A congressionally approved transfer of more than $8 billion boosted the fund's balance to end the fiscal year (September 30) at $12 billion, but that is still the second-lowest year-end level since 1984.
Construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System began in 1956. Extensions brought the total length of the system to 47,856 miles by 2013. Maintenance of this highway system and some new road construction is financed by the HTF, which receives revenue from taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Since 1982, the HTF has been divided into a highway account and a smaller mass transit account. As growth in the total number of road miles has slowed, outlays have generally been focused on maintenance.
The balance of the HTF is based on the relative values of tax receipts, outlays, and transfers from other funding sources. Tax receipts are based on fuel consumption rather than driving distance, so as fuel economy improves, tax receipts may decline even as travel rises. From 2007 to 2011, highway travel itself declined, further reducing tax receipts, but since 2011 vehicle-miles traveled have increased. Over time, expenditures from the HTF have increased as the highway system expands and as it ages, because of higher maintenance requirements.
In the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2015, the average monthly net HTF tax receipt was about $3 billion, and the average monthly outlay was nearly $4 billion. With outlays exceeding receipts and HTF balances dwindling, Congress in July transferred $8 billion from other sources to ensure the fund's solvency. Before this transfer, the HTF was at $6.1 billion, the lowest monthly value in decades.
The federal gasoline tax has been raised only a few times since the Highway Trust Fund was created. The most recent gasoline tax increase was in October 1993, when it was set at 18.4 cents per gallon (¢/g). This fixed rate does not adjust for inflation or fluctuate as gasoline prices fluctuate. Of the 18.4 cents, 18.3 cents is an excise tax, and 0.1 cent is the leaking underground storage tank (LUST) tax. The United States has more than half a million underground storage tanks for petroleum products and hazardous substances, and the LUST fund was established to support efforts to prevent and remediate leaks from these tanks.
States and some local governments also levy fuel taxes. On average, state fuel taxes tend to be higher than federal fuel taxes, averaging 26¢/g for gasoline and 27¢/g for diesel. State gasoline and diesel taxes are highest in Pennsylvania (52¢/g for gasoline, 65¢/g for diesel) and lowest in Alaska (9¢/g for both). In September 2015, state and federal taxes made up about 19% of the retail price of gasoline and 21% of the retail price of diesel.
Were they public/local bond issues or Congressional appropriations ?
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorized $25 million for the interstate system on a 50-50 matching basis. These were the first funds authorized specifically for interstate construction. However, it was a token amount, reflecting the continuing disagreements within the highway community rather than the national importance of the system. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in January 1953, the states had completed 10,327 km of system improvements at a cost of $955 million - half of which came from the federal government.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/96summer/p96su10.cfm
This is nothing more than an advance notice of tax increases.
And the bastards are going to spend most of the money on that damn light rail, which is the windmill fairy fart solution to bad roads.
$100 million dollars per mile————the average cost of light rail
And we sent how much money to Iran? 160.xzy billion?
VOTE TRUMP.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
All I can say is that in the Cleveland area with rework that has occurred on some roads the tech has improved enough that it doesn’t take as long or as much man-power to redo an entire road.
I go on a 4 lane stretch for part of my daily ride.
- First day, they shut off 1 lane on each side of the median for about a 5 mile strech.
- By the next morning that lane was ground down at least 6 inches to the base.
- By end of the 3rd day new material had been layed on that stretch both sides of the median.
- End of the 4th day the lane edge stripe was painted and it was open for business, cones were already setup for the 2nd lane on each side.
- Repeated and within a 10 day stretch that 4 lane 5 mile stretch was completely new.
Only exception was the small concrete bridge - which went through some level of inspection based on the people I saw down underneath it.
They picked up and moved 5 miles down the road to repeat the whole process on the next stretch.
Minimal traffic impact during the whole thing. I guess my point is it doesn’t take as much time or manpower to do a stretch of road as it used to.
I doubt the total cost have come down.
Other than the HTF, where else does the federal tax money go - and why. It seems they receive enough in gas tax to take care of everything we have plus much more.
1 in 8 people in the US are illegals. Deporting them would save our roads and taxes.
1 in 8 people in the US are illegals.
I find that claim hard to believe. Over 40 million?
I find it hard to believe a fellow Texan hasn’t noticed. It was estimated 1 in 8 to 1 in 10 nation wide a decade ago.
Our school district suddenly had a huge increase of illegals between 2008 and 2010 and it’s been on the rise since. No one knows the number of illegals but you can get a good idea from the number of their kids in school. Although many schools are eliminating the birth certificate requirement because that hurts their feelings. Texas statewide public and private schools is showing Hispanic students = 52% vs. White students = 29% (www.greatschools.org). Granted, not all Hispanics are illegal.
More importantly, where is the line item for the expenditures.
In Texas, Hispanic population was with us from the beginning, even at the Alamo. It is not the same as illegal.
And get rid of many Civics with load exhaust.
Again, Hispanic doesn’t equal illegal.
You keep on with that so point out where I said that. Oh, you can’t because I specifically said it did NOT.
Your last link only discussed Hispanics and made no mention of illegals.
You started this claiming 1 in 8 are illegal and you support that claim with link showing Hispanic population.
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