Idaho Groups Seek More Funding For Highways State Motorists Pay More In Taxes Than They Get Back In Spending

Contending that Idaho motorists are getting the short end of the stick from the federal government, two state organizations are pressing Congress for more cash for highway maintenance and construction.

According to an analysis by the American Petroleum Institute for Idaho’s American Automobile Association affiliate and Idaho Highway Users Inc., motorists in Idaho paid $539 million in federal, state and local taxes and fees in 1994 while direct spending on highways totaled only $430 million.

“Idaho motorists not only fully fund roads through the taxes and fees directly imposed on them, but they also subsidize non-road activities,” AAA spokesman Dave Carlson said.

Federal money accounts for about 45 percent of the state Transportation Department’s annual budget - about $125 million. But AAA and the Highway Users group said motorists in Idaho generate more than $300 million a year in fuel tax payments.

“The priority should be to at least set funding levels that would provide a measure of safety for Idaho motorists,” Carlson said. “Closing the gap between what we pay and what we get back should be at the heart of any federal funding reauthorization plan.”

Congress is working on legislation continuing the federal highway program for another six years, and Idaho Republican Sen. Dirk Kempthorne is working with other Western lawmakers to get a greater share of available cash for large rural states with extensive highway systems.

“A disinvestment in transportation means Idahoans take disproportionate safety risks on state highways,” Carlson said.

He cited federal studies that found only 17 percent of Idaho’s state road system is in good or excellent condition and that nearly 20 percent of the bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.