RURAL HIGHWAY FINANCE: THE HIGHWAY TRUST FUND AND ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

The report provides information on the amount of road and street mileage under the jurisdiction of small communities, and data to illustrate the correlation between contributions of nonmetropolitan jurisdictions through Federal taxes and the amount of money flowing back to these jurisdictions for construction and maintenance of their roads and bridges. Data on Federal Highway Trust Fund spending are from the Federal Highway Administration. Information and data on highway mileage and programs under State and local administration are from a case study in four states, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The intent in the report is to document rural highway problems, outline issues, and present analytical data comparing Federal highway taxes and Federal highway spending for rural and urban areas. There are no policy recommendations concerning the Federal-aid highway program.