You manage the transportation funding of a fictional District 25. District 25 has a major urban center and its funding gap is currently $675 million. The gap is increasing each year and projected to grow to $1.05 billion within 10 years. Below are the potential funding solutions you can implement to start to close the funding gap. Select any combination of the solutions below and watch the funding gap shrink. While each solution's anticipated revenue amounts are all fictional, they are proportional to each option's estimated potential revenue. Fictional revenue numbers shown for each funding option represent current revenues. They are projected to increase into the future.
Use the controls below find a combination that would close the gap. Click the ? to learn more about the individual funding options.
Mileage-Based User Fees
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10 years
Mileage-Based User Fee (MBUF)
Mileage-Based User Fee (MBUF)
Adding a mileage based user fee (MBUF) in District 25 ties to drivers' odometer readings to calculate a charge based on the number of miles they've driven in a set timeframe.
The implementation of an MBUF would take 10 years. For this game, you have the option to choose four different rates. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the lowest rate would lead to $100 million, the next rate to $317 million, the next to $508 million, and the highest rate to $700 million.
Mileage Based User Fees (MBUFs)
General Taxes
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3 years
General Taxes
Sales Tax Increase
Increasing the sales tax by .25% would take three years to implement in District 25. This increase would generate $33 million in revenue for District 25.
Sales Tax Increase
Corridor Tolling
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Years Vary
Corridor Tolling
Mileage-Based User Fee (MBUF)
Adding a corridor toll to an interstate or expressway in District 25 charges drivers based on the distance they travel on that road. An example of this is the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The implementation of a corridor toll would take six years. For this game, you have the option to choose a low, medium, or high rate. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the low rate would lead to $150 million, the medium rate to $196 million, and the highest rate to $242 million.
Congestion Pricing
Introducing congestion pricing to the largest city in this district would mean adding a toll to all users driving in a specific zone of the city. Congestion Pricing would take six years to implement. For this game, you have the option to choose a low, medium, or high rate. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the low rate would lead to $44 million, the medium rate to $59 million, and the highest rate to $75 million.
Managed Lanes
Introducing managed lanes to a congested expressway in the district would mean adding an express lane that drivers can pay a toll to use or, if carpooling, can drive in for free. Managed lanes would take three years to implement. For this game, you have the option to choose a low, medium, or high rate. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the low rate would lead to $24 million, the medium rate to $31 million, and the highest rate to $38 million.
Corridor Tolling
6 years
Managed Lanes
3 years
Congestion Pricing
6 years
Vehicle Fees
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Years Vary
Vehicle Fees
Vehicle Registration Fee
This fee increase would be charged to any drivers in District 25 when they register a vehicle. Increasing the vehicle registration fee in District 25 would take three years to implement. For this game, you have the option to choose a $5, 100%, or 200% increase. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the $5 increase would lead to $5 million, the 100% increase to $63 million, and the 200% increase to $125 million.
Electric Car Fee
This fee would be charged to any drivers in District 25 when they purchase an electric vehicle. The implementation of an electric car fee would take two years. For this game, you have the option to choose a $100, $150, or $200 fee. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the $100 fee would lead up to $2 million, the $150 fee up to $3 million, and the $200 fee up to $4 million.
State Police Funding Reduction
While a portion of the gas tax currently funds Pennsylvania State Police supporting highway safety related needs (exact budget breakdowns can be viewed in our annual report here). Decreasing this funding in District 25 would take two years to implement. For this game, you have the option to choose a slight, medium, or large reduction. As far as revenue generated for District 25, the slight reduction would lead to $3 million in revenue, the medium reduction to $29 million, and large reduction to $56 million.
Vehicle Registration Fee
3 years
Electric Car Fee
2 years
State Police Funding Reduction
2 years
10 Year Funding Lookahead
Year
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
$1.5B
$1.25B
$1B
$750M
$500M
$250M
$0
-$250M
-$500M
-$750M
-$1B
-$1.25B
-$1.5B
Current Gap at $675M
Remaining Gap
Projected Gap
Addressed Gap
Additional Revenue
...keep trying
You're not there yet...
You're not there yet. This set of funding solutions isn't enough to close District 25's funding gap! Addressing the funding gap has no easy fix. You can try adding more funding solutions to the mix or increasing the rates in order to support the district's mobility for years to come.
in 10 years
You closed the gap!
Congrats! You've helped close District 25 funding gap! While there was not one quick fix, your selection of multiple different near- and long-term funding options ensured that the district's mobility will continue to be supported for years to come.
You'll notice that it took X years for your combination of funding solutions to close the gap. In that time, highways and bridges throughout the district continued to experience emergency temporary closures or increasing congestion, costing drivers in the process.