In an anti-tax state with highway needs, it may have to be done

More and more evidence suggests that Gov. Bob Riley and his administration may soon propose a toll-road plan for Alabama. Simply put, the state has more road and highway needs than existing gasoline taxes - even with federal matching money - can hope to meet.

On Friday, in a talk to the Madison Chamber of Commerce, Riley said, "I think we could use toll roads not just in this area but throughout the state." He also mentioned public-private partnerships to build new highways.

The notion of toll roads grows increasingly attractive because Alabama has finds itself in the midst of an impressive period of economic growth. With the German steel company ThyssenKrupp deciding to locate near Mobile and with thousands of federal employees expected to move to the Huntsville area, road issues have become paramount.

The state can't meet all its needs because it has relatively low gasoline taxes and because the money generated by those taxes has been generally flat for the past few years. This comes at a time when the cost of road-building and repair is increasing. That means the state's dollars can do less than they did just a few years back.

Some, including the Alabama Road Builders Association, have pushed for a gasoline-tax increase, but neither Riley nor his transportation chief is willing to back the idea. Plus, Alabamians hate taxes, so legislators would be hard to persuade.

Thus, toll roads. But where? Probably in areas of growth and traffic congestion. That means the state's bigger cities and their suburbs. Every mile of road built from tolls is a mile that wouldn't have to be built with tax money and, just maybe, a mile that could serve a rural area.

Some pitfalls: The transportation director is an appointee of the governor. When the state gets a new governor, it gets a new transportation chief, and projects can be delayed for years. An nonpolitical commission would be better, but legislators don't seem to want that.

Whatever the arrangement, any toll-road decisions would have to be based on specific, objective criteria. Otherwise, voters would suspect favoristim for one kind of road or another.

Riley seems serious about the toll-road option, and something must be done. Alabama's major highways and interstates are rapidly deteriorating, according to one recent study. Indeed, worsening traffic congestion and fatality rates could cool the momentum of the recent economic growth.

Riley and others have put this idea on the table before. Now it's time for those with an interest in the subject - which is almost everyone - to give the proposal prompt and serious consideration.

By John Ehinger, for the editorial board.

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