The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was set up in 1956 to build and maintain a nationwide transportation network. Today, the Federal Highway Fund is the national bank account for roads, bridges and transit that reimburses states for eligible projects completed. However, the HTF is now spending more money annually than it is taking in, because lawmakers have failed to provide an adequate, sustainable funding source.

While a new recent transportation law, the FAST Act, provides five-years of increased federal funding for roads, bridges and transit systems, Congress refused to provide a long-term solution to this fiscal crisis. Now is the time to fix the Trust Fund!

America’s Infrastructure Needs Help

America’s civil engineers show we are not making the grades when it comes to our surface transportation system:

We Are Investing At a Rate That’s Over 25 Years Old!

The HTF, which pays for improvements and construction of roads, bridges, and transit systems, is funded by the federal gasoline tax, currently 18.4 cents a gallon. The tax has not been raised since 1993, and the revenues have not kept pace with system needs. While the price of every other household good—like bread, milk, or a new car—has nearly doubled in price, as a nation we are trying to pay for 2018 transportation using 1993 dollars.