State highway officials shared their views this week with a Senate committee reviewing funding options for long term highway and bridge investment. State officials noted that there has been no increase in the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993. Alongside improvements over the last few decades in fuel efficiency, increased use of alternative fuel vehicles, the loss of fuel tax purchasing power, and the ever-growing costs of maintaining the nation’s transportation network, “there is recognition that our current funding model is not sustainable” to keep pace with long-term system needs.