Poll finds Nev. roads are high priority

Oct. 6, 2010

A majority of Nevada voters favor raising the fuel tax to pay for better roads, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

A new Impact Nevada poll of likely voters found that 42.2% would prefer to halt road construction altogether rather than raise the gas tax. However, 41.8% were in favor of raising the tax just enough to improve local roads, and another 12.7% said they would raise it enough to expand interstate highways and local roads.

A majority of Nevada voters favor raising the fuel tax to pay for better roads, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

A new Impact Nevada poll of likely voters found that 42.2% would prefer to halt road construction altogether rather than raise the gas tax. However, 41.8% were in favor of raising the tax just enough to improve local roads, and another 12.7% said they would raise it enough to expand interstate highways and local roads.

The poll, commissioned by the Review-Journal, 8NewsNow and Vegas PBS surveyed 600 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

If legislators follow the Nevada numbers, it would be the first time state and federal fuel taxes were increased since 1993.

The poll separated respondents into several brackets, including income, political party affiliation and ethnicity, and found stark differences in the responses.

Those who would rather stop construction tended to be Republican. And more women than men - 47% to 37% - say they would prefer construction stop rather than raise taxes.

Susan Martinovich, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, said the results were surprising.

"Previous polls showed people get frustrated with congestion and frustrated with backups," she said. "It seems like an inconsistency. This reverses what has been expressed."

She suspected some of the responses could have been caused by frustrations over the number of construction projects currently underway.

Although Martinovich said the DOT has no plans to raise the fuel tax, identifying a new source of revenue is becoming more important.

When Nevada drivers hit the pump, they typically pay about 18 cents per gallon in federal taxes, 18 cents in state taxes, 6 cents in county taxes plus up to 9 cents more in an optional tax implemented by the county.

Sponsored Recommendations

The Science Behind Sustainable Concrete Sealing Solutions

Extend the lifespan and durability of any concrete. PoreShield is a USDA BioPreferred product and is approved for residential, commercial, and industrial use. It works great above...

Powerful Concrete Protection For ANY Application

PoreShield protects concrete surfaces from water, deicing salts, oil and grease stains, and weather extremes. It's just as effective on major interstates as it is on backyard ...

Concrete Protection That’s Easy on the Environment and Tough to Beat

PoreShield's concrete penetration capabilities go just as deep as our American roots. PoreShield is a plant-based, eco-friendly alternative to solvent-based concrete sealers.

Proven Concrete Protection That’s Safe & Sustainable

Real-life DOT field tests and university researchers have found that PoreShieldTM lasts for 10+ years and extends the life of concrete.