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Is the Highway Trust Fund About to Hit a Dead End?
American Legislator ^ | 4-18-14 | Steven Johnson

Posted on 04/22/2014 2:42:16 PM PDT by ThethoughtsofGreg

The Department of Transportation (DOT) released a report this past Tuesday showing that the Highway Trust Fund will run out of money by this August. The fund is the primary way by which the government maintains our roads and highways. While the fund received a $9.7 billion dollar infusion from the General Fund just after the start of this fiscal year, the fund’s outlays continue to outpace receipts and it will soon be in the red.

To be sure, part of the reason for this is that transportation infrastructure costs are on the rise. As the highways built in the 1960s and 70s start to hit the end of their expected life-cycle, many of our nation’s roads and highways will need to be repaired or rebuilt. While these legitimate infrastructure costs are rising, money from the fund is regularly wasted on projects that are uncritical, serve a relatively small portion of the populous, or take much longer than intended. The result is that only 62 cents of every dollar of fuel tax collected actually goes to building roads according to the Heritage Foundation. Because a significant portion of large-scale transportation infrastructure projects are financed through the federal fund, states have little incentive to prioritize the projects they take on or keep costs down on existing projects. The infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska is the classic example of this. $320 million was earmarked for a bridge from a small town to an island with a population of 50 people.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanlegislator.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: highwayfunds; infrastructure; roads; shovelreadyjobs; taxes; transportation
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1 posted on 04/22/2014 2:42:16 PM PDT by ThethoughtsofGreg
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

Yes!

Its out of TRUST!


2 posted on 04/22/2014 2:45:32 PM PDT by G Larry (There's the Beef!)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

In a world run by Democrats, funding for the Entitlement Army is always going to outrank funding for places for personal vehicles to spew their evil emissions into Gaia.


3 posted on 04/22/2014 2:45:49 PM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: G Larry

It is time to kill the federal gas tax


4 posted on 04/22/2014 2:49:33 PM PDT by riverrunner
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

Let me guess...raise federal gas taxes! Liberals are idiots.


5 posted on 04/22/2014 2:50:42 PM PDT by Fledermaus (Conseravtives are all that's left to defend the Constitution. Dems hate it, and Repubs don't care.)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

Don’t worry, the government will SOLVE this problem by installing transponders in our cars (or simply using license plate cameras - no difference), and then CHARGING US based on where we drive, when we drive, whether we drive alone, what we drive, and how far we drive.

We will get an ITEMIZED bill via E-Mail from the government. And the Tea Party will be HAPPY, because gas taxes never went, and tolls are a “user fee”, so no issue there.

My point is that, as we’re learning now in Texas, WE WILL PAY to drive, one way or another. That is a FACT.


6 posted on 04/22/2014 2:50:43 PM PDT by BobL
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

One more step to being a turd world country: a crumbling, unsafe infrastructure.


7 posted on 04/22/2014 2:52:24 PM PDT by upchuck (Support ABLE, the Anybody But Lindsey Effort. Yes, we are the ABLE!!)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg
I'd be happy if they put this much back into fixing the roads.


8 posted on 04/22/2014 2:53:10 PM PDT by McGruff (You believe what your government tells you. Don't you?)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg
from a small town to an island with a population of 50 people.

Where the ONLY frigging airport around is.

There is tons of traffic for the ferry there.

I wish the media would quit mis-characterizing that.

/johnny

9 posted on 04/22/2014 2:53:52 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

30 some percent makes it back to the highways and bridges - after the DC politicians and their pals blow the rest on waste, fraud, and abuse on their non highway projects ?


10 posted on 04/22/2014 2:54:36 PM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: nascarnation

They’ve been blowing highway money on other non transportation related crap for decades. Its one more “Lockbox” that they made a key for and dip into it every chance they get.


11 posted on 04/22/2014 2:55:30 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

That’s because they play trains, build bike paths, and greenbelts with the tax monies taken via fuel tax, instead of building roads and bridges for vehicles.


12 posted on 04/22/2014 2:59:57 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (Has anyone seen my tagline? It was here yesterday. I seem to have misplaced it.)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

Both the feds and the states have been siphoning off highway tax money (mostly gasoline but there are others) for decades.

Had that money been invested in ongoing maintenance as was intended there would be no highway condition crisis.


13 posted on 04/22/2014 3:00:29 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (Fight Tapinophobia in all its forms! Do not submit to arduus privilege.)
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To: george76

“30 some percent makes it back to the highways and bridges - after the DC politicians and their pals blow the rest on waste, fraud, and abuse on their non highway projects ?”

Earmarks for congressional vote buying.


14 posted on 04/22/2014 3:00:40 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (What would Scooby do?)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

I bet it’s all being spent on special projects to make Eco-nuts, gays and Muslims happy


15 posted on 04/22/2014 3:07:30 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: ThethoughtsofGreg

What “Highway Trust Fund?” Hahahahahahah!!


16 posted on 04/22/2014 3:31:59 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
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To: GeronL

Rain gardens, bike paths, high speed rail, bus stations.....


17 posted on 04/22/2014 3:37:21 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: Cyber Liberty

Any gubmint program with ‘trust’ in it is doomed to fail.


18 posted on 04/22/2014 3:50:32 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: cripplecreek

Billions in Highway Taxes Diverted to General Spending
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2160309/posts

Out of Gas: Congress Raids the Highway Trust Fund
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334601/posts

The (MN)governor’s bonding bill totals $850 million. Only 5 percent of that is dedicated to roads. This is all you need to know about where the governor’s priorities are.


19 posted on 04/22/2014 3:58:31 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: TurboZamboni

In Jackson Michigan they approved $2 million from transportation funding to tear down a massive concrete wall they never should have built. Cascades park has a big fountain/waterfall with lights etc. In the 80s they decided to put up a big concrete wall to prevent non paying people from looking at it now they want to tear it down and put up wrought iron fence.

Fortunately a all hell broke loose and they decided to find the money somewhere else.


20 posted on 04/22/2014 4:14:05 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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