"As State DOTs take on more responsibility, how will they pay for future investments?"

Date: 02/20/2013, 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Speaker: John Collura, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center

Organization: University of Massachusetts Transportation Center (UTC)

As states continue to consider taking on more responsibility in transportation, a major issue that State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) face pertains to financing future transportation investments. Examples of financing approaches being considered by State DOTs includes placing tolls along selected interstate highways where tolls are not currently collected; introducing a vehicle-miles traveled fee; increasing and restructuring the existing fuel tax; and raising income, sales, and other non-user taxes. The objective of this presentation is threefold: 1) provide a comparative review of the benefits and challenges associated with financing approaches currently being used by State DOTs; 2) review new financing approaches under consideration and their anticipated impacts including their capital and operating costs; expected changes in travel demand; potential revenue levels; and privacy and equity implications; and 3) review a decision support system under development to assist State DOTs in the evaluation of alternative financing approaches.