HIGHWAY FINANCE PROBLEMS IN THE WEST

THE DEMAND FOR HIGHWAYS OF GREATER STRENGTH TO FACILITATE EFFICIENT TRUCKING HAS DEVELOPED INTEREST IN RESEARCH TO DETERMINE THE INVESTMENT AND MAINTENANCE COSTS OF THE HIGHWAY SERVICES DEMANDED BY EACH CLASS OF VEHICLES. SOME WESTERN STATES HAVE TACKLED THE PROBLEM THROUGH INTERIM COMMITTEES. WASHINGTON HAS ATTEMPTED A RELATIVE USE STUDY BY BRINGING THE BASIC DATA DEVELOPED BY THE FEDERAL-STATE HIGHWAY PLANNING SURVEY OF 1936 DOWN TO DATE. IT IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED THAT EACH STATE SHOULD BRING ITS HIGHWAY USE INFORMATION UP TO THE CURRENT PERIOD, BUT THE MEANS ARE NOT AT HAND IN MOST WESTERN STATES. INTEREST HAS DEVELOPED IN COOPERATIVE RESEARCH ON A REGIONAL BASIS TO IMPROVE DESIGN STANDARDS, TO ASCERTAIN MORE CLEARLY THE INVESTMENT COSTS OF SPECIAL HIGHWAY USE, AND TO DEVELOP THE BASIS FOR CHARGING OUT THE AGGREGATE COSTS OF HIGHWAYS MORE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COST RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH CLASS OF VEHICLES. SUCH A PROGRAM HAS STIMULATED THE INTEREST OF COMPETITIVE AGENCIES OF TRANSPORT FOR IT PROMISES GREATER LONG-RUN ECONOMY IN HIGHWAY TRANSPORT. THIS PROBLEM EMPHASIZES THE PRICING PROCESS AND THE NEED FOR APPLYING ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES OF INVESTMENT IN THE HIGHWAY FIELD. /AUTHOR/