“The current trajectory of the Highway Trust Fund – the backbone of federal surface transportation program – is simply unsustainable, as it will have insufficient resources to meet current federal investment levels beyond fiscal year 2021,” AASHTO noted.
To investigate new revenue sources, the organization said a number of states launched user-based alternative revenue pilot programs with the help of the Surface Transportation Systems Funding Alternatives or STSFA program established by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act in 2015.
AASHTO noted the STSFA program awarded $73.7 million to fund 37 state pilot projects over the last six years to demonstrate user-based alternative revenue mechanisms across the country – from California and Oregon to Utah, Missouri, and Ohio.
“Each state pilot has taken a slightly different approach with their in attempt to address the unique needs and challenges in their state,” AASHTO said. “Findings and lessons learned from the state pilots will help inform the next steps for a mileage-based system.”
The organization added in a separate letter to Congressional leadership on April 13 – a letter co-signed by 31 other transportation organizations – that those pilot programs provide “valuable lessons learned” in terms of constructing and implementing a national vehicle miles traveled or VMT user-fee program.
“It is now time for Congress to leverage the progress made to-date [with those pilot tests] and create a comprehensive national VMT implementation program … [as] a much-needed long-term replacement for the user fees that we currently rely on to build our roads and bridges,” AASHTO emphasized in its letter.