Virginia's roads are falling apart. Maryland's bridges cost millions just to repaint. And commuters in the Washington area watch the hours tick by as they sit in traffic day after day.
It's not a pretty picture for transportation in the area, but when it comes to fixing the problem, area leaders are stumped -- torn between the need for major investment and public aversion to the higher taxes, especially gas taxes, needed to pay for them.
Virginia hasn't raised its gas tax from 17.5 cents per gallon since 1986. Maryland's 23.5 cent tax hasn't gone up since 1992. The hundreds of millions of dollars raked in by the gas taxes -- about $746 million per year for Maryland and $900 million for Virginia -- are supposed to be dedicated to transportation.
"People don't want increased taxes of any kind," said D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, D-Ward 1, who tried and failed to raise the District's 23.5-cent gas tax by 10 cents in 2010 to raise money for Metro. "I think we're all strapped for cash. Every jurisdiction is looking for additional income while it's also considering various cuts."
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