WASHINGTON, D.C.–You’ve probably suspected that some of Mississippi’s roads are not in the best of shape and, if fact, Mississippi’s Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall has been pushing an increase in the tax you pay on gasoline for a while now. A new report from a national group says about 28 percent of the roads in the Magnolia State are in the fail category.
In addition to that, 22 percent of bridges are in bad shape, needing repair or replacement, said the report from The Road Information Program (TRIP). The report is online for you to see here: http://www.tripnet.org/docs/MS_Transportation_By_The_Numbers_TRIP_Report_Dec_2013.pdf
The report also says the inadequacies in Mississippi’s roads, highways and bridges cost you about $1.6 billion every year in the form of time lost, additional vehicle expenses and wasted gas because of traffic congestion and crashes.
It is unclear if Mississippi will increase the tax on gas this year. There is some key opposition, including Gov. Bryant.
The big question is: Would you pay more for better roads? It’s a question that you may have to answer before the state raises the funds to fix the problems in the new report.
