Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Program: Fact Sheet

Federal Highway Administration2016PDFBriefUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Policy & Governmental AffairsUnited States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Policy & Governmental AffairsUnited StatesGround transportationFederal aid highwaysHighway maintenanceFinancingThe FAST Act established the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Program to provide grants to States or groups of States to demonstrate user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. The objectives of the program are: to test the design, acceptance, and implementation of two or more future user-based alternative mechanisms; to improve the functionality of the user-based alternative revenue mechanisms; to conduct outreach to increase public awareness regarding the need for alternative funding sources for surface transportation programs and to provide information on possible approaches; to provide recommendations regarding adoption and implementation of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms; and to minimize the administrative cost of any potential user-based alternative revenue mechanisms.96