The Nebraska Department of Transportation has told state lawmakers that it faces a $6 billion budget gap over the next two decades. Read More>>

The Texas Department of Transportation has decided to exclude new tolling projects from the agency’s updated 10-year construction program. Read More>>

More than 80 percent of 150 volunteers surveyed in Colorado’s road usage charge pilot program said the system is a “fair funding method” to ensure all vehicles contribute to the maintenance of roads and bridges. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will conduct a second pilot program in 2018. Read More>>

CDOT needs $2.2 billion to complete northern Colorado highway projects, including $1.8 billion to add express lanes on north I-25 and $400 million for express lanes on southern stretches of the same highway. CDOT executive director Michael Lewis predicted that voters may see a sales tax increase for transportation purposes on the 2018 ballot. Read More>>

New Jersey Transit has agreed to commit $1.9 billion to the Hudson River Gateway Tunnel rail project, which includes building an additional train tunnel between New York City and New Jersey, new bridges, a Penn Station annex, and converting the James Farley Post Office into an Amtrak concourse. The agency reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation that it plans to generate its share of the revenue through a new commuter surcharge, starting at 90 cents-per-trip in 2020 and increasing to $2.20 per-trip by 2038. New York would provide an additional $1.75 billion through a Federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement loan, paid for through the state’s general fund, and the regional Port Authority would contribute $2.7 billion. The remaining revenue would come from the federal government. Read More>>

Wisconsin lawmakers heard testimony Dec. 14 about a bill that could require local governments to ask voters for approval before imposing a local vehicle registration fee for transportation funding. Currently the fee only requires approval by county and municipality governments. Read More>>