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Mileage fees could pay for future road costs instead of gas tax

Delaware Public Media

A new regional pilot program could change the way Delawareans and their neighbors pay for roads and bridges.

For the next year and a half, DelDOT will look at ways to phase out the state’s gas tax and instead charge drivers by how far they travel.

 

The agency got a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to partner with other states along the I-95 corridor as part of the program.

 

One alternative could be a flat fee for drivers wanting to travel as much as they choose. Another more sophisticated option would track each mile driven, as well as which roads were taken.

 

State officials say revenue from the gas tax hasn’t kept pace with Delaware’s infrastructure needs.

 

That problem will be further exacerbated when higher fuel efficiency standards kick in and drivers don’t have to gas up nearly as often.

 

Planning for the program begins in October with a final report expected by April 2018.

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