Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Law

Should Washington motorists pay by the miles to drive?

Oran Viriyincy
/
Flickr

Washington state transportation officials are exploring whether to charge drivers by the mile to use state highway and roads.

A steering committee of transportation experts recently concluded it's feasible to move the state away from gasoline taxes to a "pay as you go" road fee system.

Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says the question now is whether the idea is acceptable for the state and in what form.

The Washington Transportation Commission is expected to ask state lawmakers for money to study further how the idea would work.

Washington and other states are looking for ways to pay for highway maintenance and repair as residents drive less and more fuel-efficient cars are making fewer gas tax dollars available for transportation.

The Associated Press (“AP”) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio, television, and online customers with coverage in text, photos, graphics, audio and video.