Partnering with the private sector, either business or nonprofits, is a wise method of leveraging public funds to serve more people efficiently, equitably, and economically, which works as well with roads and bridges as with parks and other public resources.
Funding roadways without new taxes
By Matt Stearns - McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, August 10, 2007
When Congress passed a $286 billion transportation bill two years ago, many experts said it was far short -- almost $100 billion short -- of the investment needed to maintain the nation's roads and bridges.
But lawmakers weren't willing to take the political risk of increasing the federal fuel tax, which Congress has left unchanged since 1993. Last week's deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis may not reverse that sentiment, either. President Bush declared his outright opposition to a gas-tax increase twice this week.
Frustrated with federal inaction, some states and municipalities are trying to find ways to deal with soaring infrastructure costs on their own. In the transportation realm, solutions include politically risky local tax hikes and leasing public assets to private investors.
