New Weight Tax Suggested To Repair American Roads & Bridges

Columnist Neil Peirce writes on the need to address the road infrastructure crisis illustrated by the I-35W bridge collapse. Rather than boosting the federal gas tax, he advocates a 'Big New Tax' based on 'weight per wheel' of new vehicles.

2 minute read

August 21, 2007, 7:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"The indisputable reality is that our national infrastructure, led by decaying roads and bridges, is in perilous shape. Bridges alone tell the story: We have 75,621 of them deemed structurally deficient - potential tragedies waiting to happen."

Pierce believes that "an immediate bridge and road safety repair fund funded by an excise tax on vehicles (leaving the long-battered gas tax in its political doghouse)" is the best way to address the infrastructure crisis."

"My proposal is a new federal excise tax, levied on the purchase of any new vehicle. The tax would be calculated to reflect the precise weight per wheel - the wear and tear - that the new car or truck would place on our roadways....Such a tax should average at least several hundred dollars per vehicle. Arguably, that would be chump change in the prices haggled over each new vehicle. But the revenue would be a sure generator of needed billions for the roadways."

Rather surprisingly, Peirce does not advocate a gas tax increase to address meeting the infrastructure need.

"It was Congress' dreary record on transportation funding that enabled President Bush to dismiss a recently proposed 5-cent-a-gallon gas tax increase. Let the lawmakers ‘examine how they set priorities' first, he said.

Bush then baldly asserted that an increase of a few pennies a gallon might ‘affect economic growth.' But Bush has a solid point about Congress' transportation irresponsibility, including the rapid growth of special ‘earmarks' in recent years. And the fact is Congress could act a lot more responsibly in allocating transportation dollars."

"Britain is showing the way with its recent "Eddington Transport Study" on how transportation decisions can be linked to the most critical concerns - the country's economic competitiveness as well as sustainable development in an era of rising concern about carbon emissions. The Eddington report's big breakthrough was a decision to apply a vigorous cost-benefit ratio analysis to gauge the actual outcomes of any transportation investments that government might make."

Thanks to Albert G. Melcher; MS, APA

Sunday, August 19, 2007 in Newport News, Va., Daily Press

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

"Altadena - Not For Sale" yard sign in front of burned down house after Eaton Fire in Altadena, California in January 2025.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations

Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

July 7 - Dwell

Dense multistory residential buildings in hilly San Francisco, California.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean

Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

July 7 - The San Francisco Standard

Blue self-driving Ford Transit van shuttle in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US

A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.

July 7 - Smart Cities Dive

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA