Analysis: Ark. Faces Few Options For Highway Cash

ANDREW DeMILLO

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Members of a panel that will begin meeting this week to study Arkansas' highway funding says all options are on the table for new ways to pay for road improvements.

The committee will find that there aren't too many options left for them to consider, and the ones they face are difficult if not impossible to sell to the public.

Facing nearly $20 billion in highway needs over the next decade, state highway officials have long said the state needs to take a look at new ways to pay for building and maintaining the state's roads. The Arkansas Blue Ribbon Committee on Highway Finance, formed during this year's legislative session, will hold its first meeting Thursday to come up with recommendations for new funding ideas.

But beyond the current methods of per-gallon taxes and registration fees, the committee will find that there aren't too many options left they can rely on for the much-needed improvements.

From instituting a sales tax on gasoline to tapping into general revenue, many of the ideas the committee will look at over the next year face significant hurdles and plenty of opposition from lawmakers.