AAA Urges Congress to Invest Added $5 Billion Annually in Nation's Roads, Bridges
9 September 1997
AAA Urges Congress to Invest Added $5 Billion Annually in Nation's Roads, Bridges
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 -- AAA today urged Congress to invest an
additional $5 billion per year toward maintaining and improving the
nation's roads and bridges.
Since 1993, one-fourth (4.3 cents of the current 18.3 cents per gallon) of
federal gas tax receipts has been diverted from the Highway Trust Fund to
support general fund spending. In August, Congress passed, and the president
signed, the Taxpayer Relief Act which directs that, beginning Oct. 1, the 4.3
cents per gallon tax will flow into the Highway Trust Fund.
"This was an important step in the right direction," said James Kolstad,
AAA vice president for Public and Government Relations, "and will provide
roughly $5 billion in additional revenue annually for highways, bridges and
highway safety."
More than one-third of major U.S. roads are in poor to mediocre condition
and one-fourth of the more than 570,000 bridges in the U.S. are either
structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the Federal
Highway Administration.
"Additional federal spending is sorely needed," said Kolstad. "Congress
has just taken a giant step in the right direction by putting all gas tax
receipts into the Highway Trust Fund," added Kolstad. "The key now is to get
them to actually spend those dollars on roads and bridges."
The following chart shows the amount of additional funds which would flow
to each state annually, under current law, if Congress invested the entire
amount received from the 4.3 cents-per-gallon portion of the federal
gasoline tax.
AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 99 clubs, providing its 40 million
members in the United States and Canada with a full line of travel, insurance,
financial and auto-related services.
POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL HIGHWAY FUNDING
(Assuming all of 4.3% is disbursed to States)
STATE Annual Additional Funding
ALABAMA $100.0 million
ALASKA $58.3 million
ARIZONA $72.1 million
ARKANSAS $61.7 million
CALIFORNIA $454.6 million
COLORADO $57.8 million
CONNECTICUT $102.8 million
DELAWARE $22.5 million
FLORIDA $219.4 million
GEORGIA $156.5 million
HAWAII $35.4 million
IDAHO $31.6 million
ILLINOIS $191.7 million
INDIANA $118.8 million
IOWA $57.4 million
KANSAS $59.6 million
KENTUCKY $86.6 million
LOUISIANA $78.9 million
MAINE $26.5 million
MARYLAND $77.3 million
MASSACHUSETTS $197.6 million
MICHIGAN $154.1 million
MINNESOTA $70.4 million
MISSISSIPPI $61.0 million
MISSOURI $118.7 million
MONTANA $42.7 million
NEBRASKA $40.4 million
NEVADA $30.3 million
NEW HAMPSHIRE $24.9 million
NEW JERSEY $139.0 million
NEW MEXICO $48.1 million
NEW YORK $303.6 million
NORTH CAROLINA $134.5 million
NORTH DAKOTA $29.6 million
OHIO $184.8 million
OKLAHOMA $78.2 million
OREGON $60.9 million
PENNSYLVANIA $205.1 million
RHODE ISLAND $23.3 million
SOUTH CAROLINA 79.3 million
SOUTH DAKOTA $32.3 million
TENNESSEE $113.8 million
TEXAS $354.4 million
UTAH $36.5 million
VERMONT $22.8 million
VIRGINIA $117.2 million
WASHINGTON $93.3 million
WEST VIRGINIA $46.0 million
WISCONSIN $101.6 million
WYOMING $32.3 million
TOTAL $5.04 BILLION
Source: The Road Information Program (TRIP)
SOURCE AAA