Highway “Needs” Demand Fresh Approaches

by Ron McLinden

Ozark Chapter Transportation Chair

The Missouri Department of Transportation reported to its governing commission in July that Missouri’s highway preservation needs are $19.1 to $24.7 billion, and that highway expansion needs are another $16.7 to 20.4 billion. Add urban and rural transit, bike and pedestrian, inter–city passenger, airport, waterway, and rail freight needs and the total package is well over $50 billion.

That should get the attention of every Missouri citizen. Missouri doesn’t have that kind of money lying around, and we’re not likely to raise that much through traditional “user fees” alone. Thus, when the General Assembly considers funding next year, as is widely expected, they’ll also have to consider raising the sales tax or some other “general revenue” source. That will put transportation in direct competition with education, social services, health care, and everything else state government does.

Earlier this year legislators authorized $2.25 billion in bonds to accelerate highway projects, but provided no funds to repay the borrowed money. That, plus the fact that a six–cent gas tax enacted in 1992 will expire in 2007, adds a degree of urgency.

MoDOT’s new long–range transportation plan, which was to be ready for public review about mid–August, should help legislators decide how much money to raise. It goes without saying that hard choices will have to be made. One of those choices has to be consideration of a lot of options previously considered “off– limits.” Here are some of them:

Shrink the system. Missouri has over 32,000 miles of state highways, sixth largest of all state systems. Thousands of those miles carry fewer than 100 vehicles a day – perhaps fewer than the street in front of your own house. Turn some little–used roads back to the counties.
Tax highway–dependent businesses. A sales tax surcharge on gas stations, restaurants, motels and billboards along interstate highways would produce new revenue from highway users — many of whom would be out–of–state — and recapture part of the value the state creates whenever it builds a highway.
Consider tolls. Tolls are the fairest way to finance highways. “Freeways” carry the lion’s share of inter–city traffic, but their users don’t pay the full cost of building and maintaining them.
Raise user fees. Missouri gas taxes and vehicle registration fees are among the lowest in the nation. Given the backlog of needs these taxes and fees should be well above the national average.
Make trucks pay their way. An 80,000 pound truck might pay 6–8 times as much per mile in fuel taxes as an automobile, but it causes 100 times as much damage. A truck exceeding the speed limit does even more damage. Some states use a “weight–distance” tax to assure that heavy trucks pay their full share. The tax would be passed along to consumers of products being transported — as it should be.
Use “congestion pricing.” A form of toll paid only during peak travel periods, congestion pricing would encourage some motorists to choose a different route or time of day for their trips, thereby easing congestion. Congestion indicates an imbalance between supply of road space and demand for that space. Congestion pricing harnesses market forces to bring supply and demand into balance.
HOV highways. High–occupancy vehicle lanes in urban areas encourage carpools and transit by allowing such vehicles to use a reserved lane, but building such lanes and related ramps is costly. Charging a toll on single–occupant vehicles, while making a cash payment to drivers of multi–occupant vehicles, could reduce congestion at much lower cost.
Improve access management. MoDOT widens urban segments of state routes, then local authorities OK new developments that clog the road with more traffic. MoDOT should exercise better control over driveways and other access points along its roads.
Shift local travel to local roads. Freeway access encourages motorists to make longer trips than they would otherwise. Building high–priced freeway capacity so people can save a minute or two on short local trips makes no sense. Improve local roads and reduce the number of freeway entrances and exits to reduce local trips on interstate highways.
Local funding for local capacity. Where a state route has more lanes through a city or town than it does out in the country, the local jurisdiction should pay part of the cost of those lanes. This would encourage locals to guide their own development so as not to overload state routes.
Promote better local planning. MoDOT should provide technical assistance to local jurisdictions to help them do a better job of land use planning and thereby reduce the need for local travel.
Shift the emphasis from “mobility” to “access.” When we think about transportation as moving people and goods we tend to want more roads. But when we consider the real purpose of transportation – providing access for people to goods and services and other people – then we shape our cities and towns to put things closer to where they are needed. And we get better places to live in the bargain.

Not all of these approaches will work everywhere. And that’s the point. Rather than rely on yesterday’s silver–bullet solution—add lanes or build a new highway—we citizens should demand non–traditional and “combination” approaches that fit specific needs, that employ market mechanisms, and that have the potential to reduce other problems—like air pollution, over–dependence on foreign oil, and vehicle deaths and injuries—in the process of meeting our transportation (access) needs.