A Road Policy for the Future

With the Interstate Highway System now almost complete, is it time for the federal government to remove itself from roadway funding? Both technological and political factors in the twenty-first century open the possibility that road finance will become a function of local and private suppliers. The federal role, in turn, would be confined to setting maintenance and safety standards, research, and other functions appropriate for the federal level. That would enable road financing to reflect more closely the wishes of road users and allow them, with the aid of appropriate technology, and even without "state guidance," to obtain the road services for which they are prepared to pay.