Transportation 2035 - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

December 2012As the gas tax will eventually become obsolete, an alternative funding source that is based on a per mile fee should also be considered in the future.Calculations (in the Appendix) show that a 5.1 cent per mile fee would replace all of the state and federal revenues in the “Sink” scenario except Fares andOther. That fee would rise to 7.6 cents for “Tread”,9.7 cents for “Swim”, and 13.0 cents per mile for“Win.”This Plan does not, at this time, make arecommendation on a particular scenario otherthan state that the path that we are currently on isa losing prospect. The costs of rising up from theSink scenario are significant, and the costs forachieving RI’s vision (Win the Race) are staggering.We, as residents of this state, must lose the notionthat transportation is free and that infrastructurecan be provided and maintained without somehowdrastically increasing revenues. We hope that theBlue Ribbon Panel on Transportation Financing(appointed by Governor Carcieri in March 2008) canuse this analysis in its deliberations and makerecommendations.REVENUE SOURCESPOTENTIAL TRANSPORTATION REVENUE SOURCES(in millions of dollars per year)TRANSPORTATION PLANNING NEEDSTOTAL STATE AND FEDERAL $455 $682 $862 $1,151• Expansion of scope of long range plan toinclude freight rail and waterborne passenger transportation• Implementation of Congestion Management Process and Access Management Program• Participation in RIPTA’s Metropolitan Transit Study• Participation in the reauthorization of SAFETEALU and in efforts to obtain new state sources of revenue for the transportation system• Monitoring and update of Public Participation Guide• Continued outreach and public participation, especially to meet environmental justice and equity goals• Continued integration of ITS and operational strategies into the planning process• Continued integration of freight into the planning process• Continued training in air quality standards and conformitySinkTreadWaterSwimWin theRaceSTATEGAS TAX $132 $205 $273 $341REGISTRATION FEES $0 $50 $75 $100TOLLS $0 $30 $50 $60VEHICLE SALES TAX $0 $80 $80 $80GAS SALES TAX $0 $0 $0 $80GEN OBLIGATION BONDS $40 $0 $0 $0FAREBOX $20 $35 $40 $55OTHER $12 $15 $17 $20STATE Subtotal $204 $415 $535 $736FEDERALFHWA $200 $210 $250 $310NHTSA $6 $2 $2 $5FTA $45 $55 $75 $100FEDERAL Subtotal $251 $267 $327 $415Transportation 2035 (2012 Update)State Guide Plan Element 611Rhode Island Statewide Planning ProgramPage 2-19