Forums seek path to fund road work

COEUR d’ALENE — Gov. Butch Otter and the Idaho Transportation Department will launch a series of statewide meetings — “Building Roads, Building Bridges, Building Consensus” — to ask the public how best to pay for repairing, maintaining and improving the state’s crumbling roads and bridges.

The meeting in Coeur d’Alene will be from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Best Western Coeur d’Alene Inn. A brief introduction to the funding challenges will be presented at 4:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Otter will lead the presentation at 4:15 p.m.

In addition to the public meetings, the governor’s staff and transportation department officials will meet during the day with legislators and other elected officials, business and industry leaders and highway district representatives.

Escalating highway construction costs, declining revenue and unprecedented demand on Idaho’s transportation system have converged to create an annual revenue shortfall estimated at $240 maillion.

“This is too big a challenge to tackle all at once,” Otter said. “It isn’t even going to get resolved in a year or two, so the dollar figure we’ve been using is just a target — a goal,” Otter said. “But without starting now to identify new revenue sources, enhance existing sources or some combination of the two, Idaho’s highways will keep deteriorating. We need to act now.”

One in five miles of state highway is considered to be in poor condition by engineering standards, and nearly half of the bridges on the state system are approaching their life expectancy of 50 years.

The solution will require innovative thinking and widespread collaboration, Idaho Transportation Department Director Pam Lowe said.

“This revenue storm has been building on the horizon for several years,” Lowe said. “It is not a new challenge, and it is not unique to Idaho. We need to share the problems and challenges with the public and learn what options make the most sense.”

Several major factors are combining to widen the gap between available resources and transportation needs. The state fuel tax has not increased since 1996; the federal fuel tax has not changed since 1993; and base car registration fees dedicated to funding transportation have not changed since 1997.

At the same time the National Construction Cost Index has increased more than 69 percent between 1997 and 2006. The cost of asphalt rose from $175 per ton in December to more than $430 in June; it is expected to nearly double within the next month.

Confronted with rising gas prices, Idaho drivers have turned to more fuel-efficient vehicles and are beginning to cut their amount of driving, further reducing transportation revenue.

Idaho’s growth — fourth fastest in the nation — creates additional demand on the transportation system, yet is not keeping pace with rising construction and maintenance costs.

The issue goes beyond transportation budgets, Lowe said. Without a strong transportation system, Idaho’s economic competitiveness will suffer. And without highway improvements, more Idaho motorists could be hurt.

Otter and transportation officials hope the statewide meetings will provide a consensus for legislators when they assemble in Boise for the 2009 session.