Total Cost for Interstate System subsidizes sprawl?

This blog entry from Richard Florida links to research that shows the total cumulative cost for the U.S. highway system is nearing $700 Billion. In addition, user fees [[gas taxes, primarily) as a percentage of total funds have dropped by about a third over the last 40 years, from about 73% to just over 50%. The rest of the costs are met from selling bonds and from non-user sources-- which I assume means general fund taxes. These figures are all based on constant 2005 dollars.

The sudden rise in total costs beginning about 1999-- perhaps driven by demand caused by ultra-cheap gas prices in the 90's?

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Originally Posted by Parkguy

This blog entry from Richard Florida links to research that shows the total cumulative cost for the U.S. highway system is nearing $700 Billion. In addition, user fees [[gas taxes, primarily) as a percentage of total funds have dropped by about a third over the last 40 years, from about 73% to just over 50%. The rest of the costs are met from selling bonds and from non-user sources-- which I assume means general fund taxes. These figures are all based on constant 2005 dollars.

The sudden rise in total costs beginning about 1999-- perhaps driven by demand caused by ultra-cheap gas prices in the 90's?

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Total costs probably went up because vrious elements of the interstate structure began reaching the end of their useful life and required replacement [[much of the system was built in the 1960s and was exceeding thirty years of age.

Congress and the state legislatures have not increased federal or state gasoline taxes as the price of fuel went up.

We probably need an increase in fuel taxes.

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Originally Posted by Hermod

We probably need an increase in fuel taxes.

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We probably do. Now we just need to find a politician who will stand up in front of us and break the news that gas will never be this cheap again. Any terminal cancer patients in the Legislature?

for R.Florida should come to an end he is not an authority.......

Florida didn't come up with this study, he just mentioned it in his blog.

Any terminal cancer patients in the Legislature?
That's about what it would take. I'm still chuckling.