Gas taxes go to things far from transit

[John Boyle]

Somewhat Negative Article in the Asbury Park Press 1/12/04 No mention here that killing enhancements would do nothing for a $300 billion dollar bill. Published By LEDYARD KING GANNETT NEWS SERVICE A battleship museum in Camden, a restored historic tavern in Rahway and a walkway in Tuckerton share little in common, except ,kthis: Federal highway funds helped pay for them. They're three of more than 16,000 transportation "enhancement" projects across the nation -- including nearly 300 in New Jersey funded in part by the federal gasoline taxes motorists pay whenever they fill up their vehicles. From 1992 through 2002, about $5.6 billion in federal highway aid was provided for such projects nationwide. Most of the money -- $3 billion -- has gone for bicycle and pedestrian trails. The rest paid for historic preservation, highway beautification and tourist attractions that critics contend have little to do with getting people where they need to go. "Every pothole you run over serves to remind you that not all the money you're paying as taxes is necessarily going to make your drive smoother," said Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union. Federal law requires states to set aside about 2 percent of their annual highway aid for such improvements. Critics say states shouldn't have to meet that mandate with the daily commute getting longer and more people dying on the nation's roads. Road conditions are so bad that Congress is considering raising the 18.4-cent federal gasoline tax by 8 cents. A panel of transportation experts recently recommended that New Jersey more than double its 10.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax to upgrade roads and transit. But Gov. McGreevey shelved the plan, saying he didn't want to burden working families. Despite concerns about deteriorating roads, federal lawmakers are expected to keep diverting gasoline tax revenues for enhancements when they vote on a new six-year highway spending bill later this year. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., who heads a key highway subcommittee in the House, conceded that some of the projects "might raise eyebrows." But he said the vast majority offer people something they want: a more complete and enjoyable transportation system. States have leeway Congress created the enhancements program in 1991 as part of its first six-year program for highways and mass transit. Supporters wanted states to look beyond asphalt and train tracks in moving people, while lawmakers saw a new avenue to pay for local projects. And they say many Americans are willing to make the investment. A poll of 1,014 adults conducted in April for America Bikes found that 53 percent favored increasing federal spending to build more bike paths, even if it means fewer gas-tax dollars going for roads. The survey found 43 percent opposed. Much as states decide which roads to build or bridges to repair, they determine which bike paths, rest areas or other enhancement projects to build. Federal dollars usually cover about 80 percent of a project's cost, with the rest coming from state and local coffers. Projects must fall into one of 12 categories, including highway beautification, archaeological research and visitor centers. States have broad latitude in determining what qualifies. But even though mandated by Congress, the use of highway dollars for street landscaping, historic renovation and other nonhighway uses rings particularly hollow in New Jersey, where officials are trying to prevent the state's Transportation Trust Fund from running dry. A recent Gannett New Jersey investigation found that the situation can be partly blamed on the diversion of state gasoline tax money to the general treasury for programs other than road building. Value questioned Rep. H. James Saxton, R-N.J., helped the city of Camden land the decommissioned battleship USS New Jersey, now moored as a waterfront tourist attraction. The state added $1.4 million in federal highway aid to its own contribution of $21.6 million for the project. Though Saxton voted last summer to keep the enhancements program intact for 2004, he said he's not wedded to the idea of highway money being diverted for enhancements. "I suspect that if there was a will to have the Battleship New Jersey, then there's a will to find the money somewhere," he said. Opponents of such projects say the enhancements do little to promote safety or shorten com-mutes: Traffic-related deaths have risen to their highest lev-el since 1990. Commuters now spend an hour a week, on average, stuck in rush-hour grid-lock. And the cost of simply maintaining the nation's road network is billions more than federal, state and local govern-ments collectively spend. Pam Fischer, a spokeswoman with AAA's New Jersey chapter, said reducing the number of highway deaths ought to be the top priority when it comes to spending highway funds. "We're not saying these things are not important," she said of enhancements. "But when it comes to moving people around the country, it means improving safety, and we have to put adequate resources toward that." Some lawmakers last year tried to stop requiring states to spend some federal highway dollars on enhancement projects. But attempts hit a road-block when lawmakers over-whelmingly decided in September to keep the program intact. "We're always going to have a highway construction backlog," said Rich Dolesh, of the National Recreation and Parks Association. "And there will always be this principled choice to say that our quality of life is more important than putting all our dollars in concrete."