Study Says That Highways Don't Pay for Themselves

A new study completed by the Texas Department of Transportation shows that no highway in Texas has paid for itself in terms of the increased funds the state receives through tolls or gas taxes. In some cases, a road without tolls would need a gas tax of over $2 to "pay for itself."

This study provides support for transportation reform advocates nationwide whether they be pushing congestion pricing locally or AMTRAK nationally. If no transportation project, be it highway, transit or something else, can be said to "pay for itself;" then the arguments of car culture advocates and libertarians who argue against alternative transportation on the basis that it is only viable because of a government subsidy loses what little credibility it has left.