Delaware Gov. plots gas-tax hike
More than NJ, less than Pa.: Dime-a-gallon would fund road, rail projects
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell plans to boost the First State's gas tax 10 cents a gallon, to 33 cents, to raise $50 million toward paying for $500 million in road projects, passenger rail improvements and other transportation projects over the next five years.
Markell, a lame-duck Democrat, wants the General Assembly to support a higher gas tax "to create a reliable revenue stream for the state's Transportation Trust Fund," improve roads and transit and put more people to work. The tax was last boosted, to 23 cents a gallon (gasoline) and 22 cents (diesel and others) in 1995. Delaware had been relying on unclaimed investments (escheat) for some road funding, but hadn't been able to seize as much as it hoped. The typical Delaware driver will pay an extra $4.78 a month (corrected) if the gas hike goes through, according to the governor.
Delaware's gas tax would still be lower than Pennsylvania's (scheduled to rise from today's 42 cents/gallon to 61 cents by 2018, or Maryland's (rising from current 27 cents to 43 cents) or New York's (50 cents), but more than double refinery-friendly New Jersey's gas tax (14.5 cents/gallon).
Markell also wants to borrow $50 milllion/year for five years to fund more than 55 road projects "delayed" since the 1990s by "stagnant or flat revenue" and rising costs. He says the state highway department has been cutting consultants, overtime and cell phone use and leaving vacant jobs unfilled to cut costs.
Projects on the "Postponed" list that may be funded by the hgiher gas tax include $15 million for "Paving and Rehabilitation" projects, $6.2 million for the Newark Septa/Amtrak train station (in danger of closing if it's not upgraded), $1.1 million for upgrades along Pyles Ford Road in the wealthy "Chateaux country" north of Wilmington, $500,000 for Delaware 1 from Tybouts Corner to Delaware 273, $1.35 million for Delaware 24 repairs near Delaware 1, among others.
