9/4/08-The Idaho Transportation Funding Conference met recently to discuss the challenges of funding for roads and bridges in the state.
The conference was comprised of transportation experts, lawmakers and other officials. They discussed the state’s need for a $240 million yearly increase in transportation funding to offset a growing shortfall.
The group was told that 20 percent of highway miles in Idaho are “deficient.” That same percent of bridges in the state exceed their 50-year life span.
Possible solutions include boosting fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees. The primary funding sources for roads and bridges in the state have not changed in more than a decade.
Other factors that are contributing to the funding crunch include fewer federal dollars available for states and escalating costs for road building materials.
The Federal Highway Trust Fund is facing a deficit that could result in the loss of millions for states, if nothing changes. Idaho relies on the federal government for nearly half of its transportation funding.
Another contributing factor for fewer dollars being available for road and bridge work is the cost of construction materials continues to rise. In the past decade, steel, asphalt and concrete costs have skyrocketed.
To make matters worse, escalating costs for gas and diesel are resulting in fewer vehicle miles traveled. As a result, it is eating into the state’s revenue generated from fuel taxes.
Any solutions for transportation funding in the state can be considered during the regular session that begins in January 2009.

1/8/08-House Speaker Lawerence Denney, D-Midvale, said he sees support growing in the state to boost taxes for improved roads. With that in mind, several lawmakers are looking at drafting a bill that would allow voters to decide on a local sales tax to pay for road work and public transit.
Fresh off input from Gov. Butch Otter and more than 70 legislators, advocates for the local option tax are putting together legislation that could come up for consideration during the regular session that started Tuesday, Jan. 8. The bill is expected to allow voters to choose to raise the sales tax in their communities for roads and/or public transportation.
Funding for transportation is expected to draw a lot of discussion this year at the capitol because the state faces a shortfall of about $200 million. That amount is expected to increase by $45 million annually, the Idaho Statesman reported.
Among the options likely to draw consideration to reduce the state’s funding gap include increasing user fees such as vehicle registration fees.
Advocates for the local option tax, however, point out revenue from higher vehicle registration fees would be used for the state highway system. Cities and counties with their own funding shortfalls would be shut out.