The Washington Post: Breaking the Gridlock on Paying for Roads

From The Washington Post:  

America's failure to build and repair the roads and rails it needs, says Robert D. Atkinson, is "emblematic" of the larger mess we're in: "We're a generation that has been irresponsible, and we're passing on a degraded capital asset to our children." But after spending the past 24 months leading a congressionally mandated task force on transportation, Atkinson also has some good news: It's possible for Republicans and Democrats, through a process of respectful conversation and investigation, to form a genuine consensus. If that's "emblematic," maybe there's hope for Social Security and health-care reform, too.  Highway funding, after all, has become as encrusted in unyielding orthodoxies as any political issue. Almost no one disputes that Washington and the states, including Virginia and Maryland, have failed to deliver on the basic governmental responsibilities of ensuring mobility and enabling commerce. The number of miles Americans drive has essentially doubled since 1980 (cars up 97 percent; trucks, 106 percent), but the number of highway lane miles has grown only 4.4 percent. Result: twice as much traffic per road.