With $4.4 billion in additional revenue expected to be generated from a new gasoline tax over the next six years, Maryland's new transportation secretary will have a historic role in shaping the state's transportation and land use patterns.
"With a new state sales tax on gasoline, there is suddenly money to be had — an estimated $4.4 billion in additional revenue over the next six years — and a long wish list of [transportation] projects that were postponed during the lean years," reports Katherine Shaver. The new head of Maryland's Department of Transportation, James T. Smith Jr., "will help to determine who gets what, and when."
“The person serving as secretary of transportation for the next year or so will be making some critical decisions about spending that will shape transportation for years to come in Maryland,” said Lon Anderson, head of government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
"Smith, who lives in Cockeysville in Baltimore County, said he is well aware that he must keep promises made statewide that the additional pain at the pump would ease traffic, provide more transit options, create jobs and spur economic development," adds Shaver. "He said he brings to the job a firm belief that transportation 'is more than just about getting people from Point A to Point B. It’s about creating economic vitality and vibrancy in communities.'”
Read the full story: New Md. transportation secretary evaluates how to use gas tax funds
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