Report Cites States’ Increased Use of Tolls, Private Roads

tate officials will continue to look for new funding methods to build and maintain roads, such as leasing toll roads to private companies and selling bonds, according to a report released this week.

The National Conference of State Legislatures report said that with vehicle-miles traveled growing by 35% since 1990 and freight shipments expected to double by 2020, more investment will be needed.

Gasoline tax revenues, which provide more than one-third of all highway funding, are not growing sufficiently to match inflation rates, the report said.

It also provides a case study of the trend-setting deal to privatize the Chicago Skyway toll road and examines some recent state legislative initiatives on road funding.

An executive summary of the report, “Surface Transportation Funding: Options for States,” is available on NCSL’s Web site, at www.ncsl.org.