Idaho’s Highway Construction And Repair Backlog Growing But Key Lawmakers Delay Backing Gas Tax Increases

Idaho’s backlog of highway construction and maintenance is growing and could approach $6 billion by 2000, a new report says.

But two key legislators said Tuesday they want to look for efficiencies within the state Department of Transportation before considering tax increases to build roads.

A report presented to a legislative committee on transportation is an update of a study done in 1986 on the state’s needs for highway construction and maintenance, bridges and railroad crossings.

The study also was updated in 1990 and showed a backlog of $4.1 billion in transportation projects. Between 1994 and 2000, the backlog is expected to grow to $5.934 billion.

Despite enactment of a 3-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax in 1990, making the state tax 21 cents per gallon, the transportation report said, the state has been losing ground in its efforts to keep up with highway needs.

The state gas tax in 1972 was 8 1/2 cents per gallon. But in recent years, vehicles have become more fuel-efficient, meaning that less tax money is collected per mile of travel.

The department said the combined effect of inflation and increased fuel efficiency since 1972 means it would take a state gas tax of 46 cents per gallon to equal the spending power the agency had 23 years ago.

Rep. JoAn Wood, R-Rigby, said she and co-chairman Sen. Evan Frasure, R-Pocatello, want to explore other possibilities for getting more money into highway construction and maintenance before looking at increasing the tax.

Committee members were advised that 73 percent of the 14,107 miles of county roads in Idaho are considered in poor or very poor condition. About 42 percent of the 4,952 miles of state highways are listed in poor condition, and 59 percent of the 12,719 miles in highway districts are in bad shape.

Just 25 percent of the 3,492 miles of roads that cities are responsible for are listed in poor or very poor condition.

“We want to see if we can find any costefficient savings within the department,” she said.

As an example, she said Transportation always pays for its new buildings and facilities from the money collected from highway users. Other state agencies finance buildings from the state Permanent Building Fund.

Department Director Dwight Bower said for the last three years, the federal government has given Idaho less money for highway projects than promised. Wood said she wanted to study whether the agency is wasting money planning for projects that won’t be funded.

“If we aren’t getting all the federal dollars, why plan for it?” she said.