Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance

SAFETEA-LU established the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission (Financing Commission) and charged it with analyzing future highway and transit needs and the finances of the Highway Trust Fund and making recommendations regarding alternative approaches to financing transportation infrastructure. The Financing Commission’s final report, Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance, offers a roadmap for sweeping reform of the nation’s transportation infrastructure funding and finance framework. The Financing Commission offers specific recommendations for increasing investment in transportation infrastructure while at the same time moving the Federal Government away from reliance on motor fuel taxes toward more direct fees charged to transportation infrastructure users.