A story on Stateline.org details the discussion taking place in other states regarding tolls as a potential way of paying for existing highways. It notes that the federal gas tax, the primary revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund, has not increased since 1993 and that the fund is projected to go into the red by late 2012.
In light of this, a number of states have raised the possibility of placing tolls on existing interstate highways to help pay for their maintenance. A focus of the story is Rhode Island, where a recent study found that the state needs to spend about $300 million more a year just to keep its current roads and bridges in good repair a figure that is twice as much as the state typically spends. The story also describes currently federal law, which sharply restricts the ability of states to establish tolls and possible federal responses.
