By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services/Arizona Capitol Times
Arizona will collect less than a third of the money it needs in transportation taxes to meet the anticipated needs by 2035, including keeping the state’s roads and bridges repaired, a new state report shows.
The Auditor General’s Office says the Arizona Department of Transportation will need about $88.9 billion in its 25-year plan to ensure “minimum acceptable conditions” for the state highway system. But at the current rate taxes are being collected, the agency will have just $26.2 billion over the same period.
The study says state lawmakers should form a task force to find ways to bridge the gap. And it proposes various options ranging from higher gasoline taxes to finding new ways to raise additional dollars.
But Gov. Doug Ducey has pronounced such ideas dead on arrival if they reach his desk.