AASHTO Journal, 3 May 2013
The American motoring public prefers tolling to many other ways to generate funding for the nation’s transportation infrastructure, according to a recent America THINKS survey by HNTB Corporation.
The survey results, first introduced at a National Press Club Newsmakers news conference last week, found that a majority of Americans (about 63 percent) believe that the United States cannot “build its way” out of traffic congestion. Of those surveyed, 71 percent said they would be willing to pay tolls in order to save time and avoid congestion.
“As our nation’s population continues to grow, so will its traffic troubles if we don’t address the long-term decline of the gas tax,” said Jim Ely, HNTB vice chair of toll services, in a statement. “The confluence of shrinking traditional transportation funding, increasing congestion and advancements in tolling technology is opening up vast opportunities for market-driven and choice-based user financed transportation.”
Regardless of the ways in which additional transportation revenue is raised, most survey respondents expressed a desire to keep options open. Seventy percent said they believed their state transportation department should have the option to add tolling, while 80 percent agreed state DOTs should enter into public private partnerships to bring roadway, bridge, and other transportation improvements to the public.
“If we’re not willing to raise the gas tax to simply account for inflation, not to mention address the growing number of aging facilities that need to be maintained, repaired, and replaced, alternatives must not only be considered, but adopted much more frequently,” Ely said. “These findings are an encouraging sign as we seek opportunities to increase flexibility, funding and fairness related to tolling at the federal and state levels.”
HNTB’s survey was conducted online with 1,000 randomly-chosen individuals, representing the U.S. population of individuals 18 years of age and older.
A fact sheet on the survey results is available here. A video of the National Press Club discussion on priced managed lanes is available here.