There is bipartisan agreement that America’s surface transportation infrastructure is increasingly strained and outmoded. In a welcome step forward, the Trump administration has proposed an infrastructure plan that would help spur necessary investment. But infrastructure improvements need a revenue stream, and the only sustainable way to pay for them going forward will be through tolls and other user fees. In an op-ed for RealClearPolicy, ITIF President Rob Atkinson writes in favor of a vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) system, a new approach to surface transportation infrastructure financing that would leverage technology to ensure users – particularly heavy trucks – pay their full costs.
