Somewhat relevant given the mess the bridges could be in:

http://www.infrastructurist.co...ore-tolls/

Quote:

For the past 50 years, we’ve been relying on the gas tax to pay for U.S. roads, bridges, tunnels, and more. And as we’ve been reiterating for, well, ever since this blog was launched, that method of payment is no longer working. Infrastructure in the U.S. is fast approaching critical levels of disrepair and technological obsolescence, The gas tax is too low to make any serious dent in these problems, and the political barriers to raising it are too high to achieve any real gas-tax coup. Meanwhile, the dogged lack of funding sources has kept the federal surface transportation bill — which is already nearly a year overdue — stalled in its tracks.

As a filthy treehugging hippy, I say enough is enough. At what point do we stop feeding this beast. Tolling roads will only mean the inevitable toll increases that go with all government run entities. And, as tolls rise we will be paying to drive on crappy roads or have our trip times and gas usage increase while we detour around highways and roads that will take years to fix. I would say raise the gas tax by a dollar, put it in a fund that couldn't be raided for road taxes, and build an infrastructure that is user friendly and employs different alternative transportation methods. There are a number of peripheral positives that go along with this, also. A friendlier and healthier city would be two of those. It would take a while to have this theory become reality, but I think no more than what it would take to enact a toll system, save that money and then suffer the ponderous process/infighting/hearings, etc that would go along with allotting funds to the never-ending supply of problems we have currently and in the near future with the archaic system we have now. We will be trying to fix something that is terminally broken at this point in time.
Road systems have historically been the biggest fund suckers in the country.
It needs to end now.
Just my opinion, not meant to offend.

Regards,
LM

I would have assumed people dislike tolls just as much as they dislike higher gas taxes and both would be equally difficult to pass. Atleast with a gas tax your trip is not interrupted by the toll booth. Also, at a toll both there is the potential that you will be sitting there idling, when an engine burns gas the least efficiently and you will also have to accelerate back to highway speeds, a process the results in very low miles per gallon compared to when the car is at a constant speed. If more funds are really needed, I would assume just paying an extra quarter (or whatever the amount is) per gallon of gas purchased.

Does anyone know off the top of their heads what the amount of federal tax we pay per gallon of gas? Someone once told me it was a quarter but I assume it is really more than that.

2010: http://www.taxfoundation.org/r...w/245.html

looks like an average of $0.25

cellophane wrote:

2010: http://www.taxfoundation.org/r...w/245.html looks like an average of $0.25

That chart on that site is really nice in seeing what we are paying in state taxes. I wonder what the federal government charges for those taxes, particularily gas taxes. Again, a friend of mine said the federal government charges a quarter a gallon but my gut is telling me it is probably higher.

Some of the cigarette taxes are pretty awesome. $3 per pack in Connecticut.

Back on topic — I agree with the general consensus to quit feeding the beast before it gets even more out of control. While cars are here to stay for another 50+ years it is time to quit thinking in terms of cars and move towards something bigger and better. However — with current sprawl patterns that won't happen without some serious mojo at the federal level amending design standards and taxing the hell out of greenfield development and / or giving massive credits and tax breaks to rehabilitation and infill projects. Tolls heading out to the 'burbs could be a very subversive (and brilliant if I do say so myself ) way to fund things and push building back in without coming out and saying "quit doing what you are doing."

Mass transit doesn't work without density levels to support it. Louisville does not have the density level to support much beyond a bus system right now, at least on a local level. A regional rail to other major cities would work but a local rail system just wouldn't make it except at a few major roads.

http://www.infrastructurist.co...s-discuss/

This made it all the way to Fox News.