Wyoming Reports Road Improvements From 10-Cent Gas Tax Increase

Wyoming legislators passed its gas tax hike in Feb. 2013, an incredible 71 percent increase when the state then had the second to lowest tax. AASHTO reports that the WYDOT has already completed 12 projects with the additional revenue.

2 minute read

October 5, 2014, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


Road users in the Cowboy State are enjoying better road conditions on non-interstate highways due to an influx of revenue resulting from last year's gas tax increase.

"The Wyoming Department of Transportation [WYDOT] has finished a dozen pavement upgrades on 89 miles of highway surface, tapping part of about $46 million it received from the first full year of a 2013 increase in gasoline and diesel," according to the AASHTO Journal. An additional $23 million was directed to cities and counties, they add.

Eight states raised their gas taxes in July, 2013, wrote Ryan Holleywell of Governing, though none as high as Wyoming, which resulted in the state leaping from #49 to #30 in gas tax rankings [PDF] according to the American Petroleum Institute. But the tax hike was significant in another perspective: It broke the three and a half year freeze on all state gas tax increases, according to Pew's recent surface transportation funding report [PDF, pg. 15], summarized here.

As for the legislators being punished by the voters for hiking their gas taxes as some opponents of raising gas taxes might suspect would happen, it didn't happen, wrote Teddy Ledere in his T4America Blog in August after the state primary election. The legislators who had voted to raise the gas tax overwhelmingly won their races.

In WYDOT's press release, Director John Cox notes the cost savings for his department in the next three years by "prolonging the life of the pavement in ways that will be visible and will improve the driving conditions on the highways.”

Deteriorating road conditions in New Jersey, the state that replaced Wyoming in the gas tax rankings as #50 (including District of Columbia), recently produced a report on the costs to motorists of not raising the state gas tax.

And rather than seeing their budget shrink as have some state departments of transportation may have experienced due to failure to raise gas taxes, WYDOT saw a 15 percent in its construction budget for fiscal 2012, notes the press release.

Friday, October 3, 2014 in AASHTO Journal

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 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Red and white "Wildfire Evacuation Route" sign on signpost.

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions

An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

3 hours ago - The Markup

Protester at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles holding sign that says "Housing is a human right"

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

4 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Aerial of rainbow painted crosswalks at large intersection in Castro District, Sna Francisco, California.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts

Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.

5 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

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.

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA