Reducing Diesel Tax Will Delay New Highway Construction

    COLUMBUS, Ohio--March 21, 2003--An Ohio Senate proposal to remove a three-cent per gallon surcharge on diesel fuel will severally hamper Ohio's efforts to rebuild and expand the state's already-crowded highways.
    The Senate proposal will cost Ohio $35 million per year in revenues dedicated to road construction. It will seriously reduce the amount of projects the Buckeye State will be able to build through its annual New Construction program.
    Projects possibly on the chopping block include the I-75 expansions in Dayton, Toledo and Cincinnati; the I-77 improvements in northeast Ohio; the U.S. 24 expansion in northwest Ohio; the Ohio 161 expansion in central Ohio; the U.S. 30 widening in northern Ohio, and the redesign of the I-70/I-71 corridor in downtown Columbus, Ohio's most congested section of highway.
    "A reduction of this magnitude will significantly delay several new construction projects in the most heavily traveled areas of our state," said David V. Finley, managing director of the Ohio Construction Information Association (OCIA). "Postponing these essential projects, along with the continual increase in the number of trucks on the state's roads, will force Ohio's motorists to commute on a crumbling, overcrowded system of highways."
    Yet, the proposed elimination of the surcharge will benefit the industry that utilizes current highways the most - trucking. Truck travel expanded more than 78 percent on Ohio's roads in the last two decades, which compares to a 70 percent increase in travel by everyday motorists.
    Much of the damage done to current roads is caused by the tremendous growth in truck traffic. Each 80,000-pound truck puts as much wear and tear on a road as 9,000 to 10,000 automobiles. With truck traffic expected to increase at least 60 percent in the next 20 years, Ohio's highways will continue to deteriorate under this tremendous weight.
    The Ohio Senate proposal as amended goes against the intended reason for the highway funding legislation, which is to increase Ohio's transportation funding to an adequate level in order to assure motorists, as well as the trucking industry, better mobility and safety.

    OCIA is a group of citizens, businesses and associations concerned with the condition of Ohio's public infrastructure and its direct relationship to Ohio's economy.