5 policy principles that will be key to next surface transportation bill | Construction Dive

An article from 5 policy principles that will be key to next surface transportation bill A Consumer Reports white paper evaluates six options to fund highways, bridges and mass transit. Published April 7, 2026 Dan Zukowski Senior Reporter Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Congress is working on the next multiyear surface transportation legislation. One proposal is to charge EV owners $250 annually. Dan Zukowski/Construction Dive First published on As Congress works on priorities for the next multiyear legislation to fund highways, bridges and mass transit, it will need to find a mechanism to cover the costs of these programs.  Funding for previous surface transportation bills relied in part on fuel taxes from the Highway Trust Fund, but the fund repeatedly outspent its revenues. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the current HTF will run out of money in 2028, largely because the federal gas tax hasn’t increased since 1993.  “We're not really seeing a whole lot of deep thought into how to actually develop good policy in this space and almost no consideration of impact on consumers,” said Chris Harto, manager of sustainability advocacy for Consumer Reports. Harto co-authored a CR report outlining five principles for policymakers to consider when evaluating the equity and viability of potential road funding. These include the proportionality of user fees; easy collection of user fees; fair contributions among commercial an...