Idaho’s transportation infrastructure, from its roads and bridges to the systems that support transit, bikes, and pedestrians, enables personal freedom and spurs responsible growth in employment, job creation, business retention, and land development. However, Idaho must determine how to properly fund this essential system to ensure it is maintained and accommodates the state’s unprecedented growth.
In 2010, a task force appointed by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and led by then Lieutenant Governor Brad Little began addressing these issues. In 2011 the group released a report, Modernizing Transportation Funding in Idaho. Since then, the Idaho legislature has passed revenue enhancements, while the state’s population has grown significantly. These changes spurred a group of stakeholders to engage Idaho Policy Institute to re-examine Idaho’s transportation infrastructure and identify alternatives available to meet the needs of the state now and in the future.
Project Partners
The following groups provided financial support for this project:
Ada County Highway District
American Council of Engineering Companies of Idaho
Association of Idaho Cities
Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS)
Idaho Associated General Contractors
Idaho Association of Counties
Idaho Association of Highway Districts
Idaho Forest Group
Idaho Trucking
Simplot Transportation
Valley Regional Transit
Idaho Policy Institute extends special thanks to Idaho Transportation Department and Local Highway Technical Assistance Council for providing access to data for this project.