We saw some encouraging movement from the Hill today on transportation. Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) are floating a plan to increase the gas tax twice by increments of six cents, and then index the gas tax to inflation so it’s a sustainable revenue source. Here’s a statement from ASCE President Randall Over, P.E. :
“The proposal issued today by Sens. Murphy and Corker to increase the federal gas tax as a way to provide needed long-term funding for the Highway Trust Fund is an encouraging step to improve our economy and raise the grades on the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure.
“With the Highway Trust Fund expected to become insolvent in a matter of months, now is the time for action. The nation’s surface transportation challenges are too vast and the costs are too great for us to continue with the status-quo.
“We applaud the bold leadership exhibited by Sens. Murphy and Corker for offering a meaningful proposal to help solve this problem, and look forward to working with them as this plan moves through the Senate.”
To learn how you can get involved to fix the Highway Trust Fund visit ASCE’s new website FixtheTrustFund.org.