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Idaho Transportation
Department
Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
Email


Association of Idaho Cities supports increasing Idaho's transportation funding

The Association of Idaho Cities is requesting the legislature invest an additional $200 million annually to improve and maintain the state's roads and bridges.

The association endorsed a resolution calling on the legislature to raise the state's fuel tax, vehicle registration and other fees to meet the growing demand on Idaho's transportation system. The resolution passed this month at the association's statewide conference in Coeur d'Alene.

The cities of Pocatello and Meridian and the Meridian Transportation Task Force endorsed similar resolutions earlier this year.

In its resolution, the association noted that:

  • Idaho is the third fastest growing state in the nation and its population is projected to increase an additional 58 percent by 2030;
  • vehicle miles of travel on Idaho's roads have increased 104 percent since 1978;
  • the number of registered vehicles has increased 93 percent over the same time period;
  • revenue from the state's highway distribution account has been stagnant. Idaho's fuel tax and vehicle registration fees were last raised in 1996;
  • Idahoans continue to buy vehicles that get better gas mileage;
  • highway construction and maintenance costs are soaring at nearly four times the rate of inflation; and
  • it is not anticipated the federal government can continue to increase funding to the states.

" Idaho's transportation revenue is not keeping pace with the state's tremendous growth," ITD Director Pam Lowe said in a presentation at the association's annual meeting. "Revenue to the state's general fund has increased 75 percent since 1998, but funding for transportation has remained flat."

Many people don't realize that Idaho's fuel tax of 25 cents per gallon does not increase with the rising prices, Lowe noted. In 1996, when the fuel tax was last raised in Idaho, gas cost approximately $1.30 a gallon.

Idaho's highway and road system have 60,000 miles of roads and 4,000 bridges. More than 300 miles of roads are added annually.

Funding for Idaho's surface transportation system needs over the next 30 years will be $20 billion short, or more than an additional $200 million annually according to a report from the Forum on Transportation Investment, an independent group charged with recommending options for funding improvements to Idaho's transportation system.

The forum conducted 14 statewide meetings in 2005-06 gathering ideas on transportation funding.

"We appreciate the association's resolution and its assistance in our effort to explain the transportation needs of the state and discuss how we can best address them," Lowe said."

 

Published 6-22-07