Arizona’s state taxes will collect less than a third of the money needed to meet 2035 infrastructure needs, a state audit reports.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) needs approximately $88.9 billion to ensure meeting minimal acceptable conditions for the state highway system through 2035, according to the Auditor General’s Office.
At the current rate, Arizona will have less than a third of the those base line funds ($26.2 billion). The audit also states that ADOT need to spend $260 million a year just to maintain the roads’ current standards.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said there will be “no new taxes” to come up with the future funding deficit. However, Ducey is considering raising the vehicles license fee, another source of funding, which he does not consider a “tax”
The audit also says that ignoring road funding needs, will just cause motorists to spend more of their own money and vehicle maintenance and operating costs.
A study by the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that driving on roads in need of repair costs Arizona motorists an estimated $1.5 billion a year — $318 per motorist — in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs.
