Originally Posted by bragi

I think this may have more to do with the nature of the infrastructure itself than with how we're willing to fund it. My home state, Washington, has increased road spending by 143% in the last few years, more than any other state, thanks to big increases in gas taxes in 2003-2005. However, it hasn't made any difference; our roads are still going to hell in a handbasket about as fast as in every other state. A major elevated state Highway in Seattle is sinking. The tunnel project designed to replace the sinking highway is in big trouble. Many major arterials in Seattle are crumbling, along with many of the major freeways/highways across the state. It doesn't appear to have occurred to anyone that maybe the reason we can't build and repair the car infrastructure in the Evergreen State, or anywhere else, is because large-scale car infrastructure is, by its very nature, simply too expensive to sustain in the long run. It's the proverbial elephant in the room that everyone is pretending not to see.