NDOT taking comments on how to pay for roads

The Nevada Department of Transportation will host a public meeting July 21 to gather comments on a study of a potential future fuel tax replacement.

The Vehicle Miles Traveled Fee Study examines alternatives to allow Nevada to continue to fund public roads amid a transportation funding deficit and changing energy resource issues:

· By 2016, vehicle fuel efficiency will increase to an average 37 miles a gallon and an estimated 20 percent of new vehicles will be alternative fuel vehicles. While an important positive for our environment, this will lead to less road funding collected from fuel taxes per gallon to fund public roads.

· Current funding for road construction, maintenance and operations comes from fuel taxes. Today, due to inflation, these fuel taxes cover approximately half of the road construction, maintenance and operations costs per gallon that they funded when last raised in 1992.

The study, a partnership between NDOT and UNLV and UNR researchers, reviews VMT fees as a potential fuel tax replacement. In this study, participants being charged a fee based on the number of miles driven instead of per-gallon fuel taxes will be simulated. Similar studies are being conducted in other states and by federal agencies.

The meeting will befrom 3:30 to 6:30pm at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center located at 4590 South Virginia St. in Reno.

Comments can also be made before Aug. 12 by email to vmtfeestudy@vmtfeenv.com or by mail at VMT study manager Alauddin Khan, 1263 S. Stewart St., Carson City, NV 89712.