Dedicated Revenue Mechanisms for Freight Transportation Investment. NCFRP Report 15.

摘要

This research explores potential sources of revenue that might be dedicated to support freight-oriented investment in the nation's surface transportation system. The objectives of this research were the following: Identify feasible, practical options for providing dedicated federal revenue and finance mechanisms to support investment in freight transportation infrastructure. Provide a comprehensive analysis of the functioning and implications of the most potentially viable options. Assess the relative merits of these most potentially viable options and describe in detail requirements and steps required for their implementation and operation. For purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that the federal fuel and excise tax system remains in place as the major revenue source for federal transportation infrastructure funding, and that any dedicated mechanisms would be used to fund a national infrastructure program analogous to the Highway Trust Fund. Some of the mechanisms considered in this study were found to be more suitable for project-specific funding. While project-specific alternatives are valuable and can reduce the need for national-level funding, those options were analyzed separately.