Federal Highway Fund Broke: Get Ready For More Fees, New Tolls

Regardless of the looming federal shortfall, Wisconsin officials are plunging ahead with an over-committed state highway budget.

Since the Congress will not raise the federal gasoline tax to cover revenue losses caused by motorists' reduced driving, and even thinking about raising taxes gives hives to legislators, look to the state next year to raise vehicle registration and other fees and to seriously look at installing toll or premium-lane or time-of-day pricing.

Likely collection points?

I-94 north of the Illinois state line towards Milwaukee, where $1.9 billion of new construction will begin in 2009, and where the Illinois Toll Road already connects to the area.

The state could also use toll collections and make the proposed I-94 interchange to the Pabst Farm mall quickly pay for itself.

The state's share of that project is $23.1 million, and installation of equipment there could be an easy demonstration of electronic toll collection.

At 50 cents or a buck a pop, the interchange could be entirely funded by users - - if the mall gets built.