摘要
In 1997 the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) established an ambitious set of condition targets for its pavements and bridges, and the Department received increased revenue from a 4-cent-per-gallon increase in the state motor fuels tax to help meet its targets. However, over time, actual revenue was less than both what was initially estimated as needed to meet the targets and what was projected from the tax increase. Consequently, actual conditions were projected to fall short of the target levels, so the department issued bonds to address the shortfall through 2012. To support deliberations on future funding, in 2013 MDOT performed an analysis of historic conditions to determine what additional fuel tax revenues would have been required beginning in 1997 to: replace bond revenues used to fund pavement and bridge projects from 1997 to 2012;and enable MDOT to meet its condition targets. The analysis was performed using data on actual pavement and bridge funding and conditions;as well as predicted funding and conditions for different hypothetical increases in fuel taxes. The analysis concluded that, in addition to the actual increase of 4 cents per gallon, a fuel tax increase of another 10 cents per gallon would have been required in 1997 to replace bond revenue used for pavement and bridges and allow MDOT to meet its condition targets. The analysis results were used to help inform the discussion of Michigan’s target asset conditions and funding, and demonstrate application of MDOT’s pavement and bridge management systems for performing historic analyses.
