Possible decline in gas tax revenue alarms transportation officials

o What: Listening session regarding the Washington Transportation Commission’s proposed 20-year transportation plan.

o When: 9 a.m. to noon.

o Where: Washington Department of Transportation, 11018 N.E. 51st Circle.on More information: http://www.wstc.wa.gov/WTP.

State transportation officials, citing flat or declining revenue in the future, will focus on preserving existing roadways rather than building new ones.

That’s one of the major themes in a 20-year policy update proposed by the Washington Transportation Commission.

On Thursday in Vancouver, the commission will host the first of five “listening sessions” across the state. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Washington Department of Transportation’s regional office, 11081 N.E. 51st Circle.

The state’s gas tax, currently 37.5 cents a gallon, accounts for the biggest piece of state transportation funding.

Yet state officials project revenues will diminish as cars become more fuel-efficient.

The plan notes that, adjusted for inflation, vehicle owners would pay 37 percent to 46 percent less in 2025 than they did in 2009 due to the state’s flat tax rates and greater fuel efficiency.

The state Legislature last year projected total fuel tax revenues of $46.7 billion between 2009 and 2025. A report for the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee earlier this year projected the possibility of a shortfall of $3.8 billion by 2025, based on a risk analysis showing per-capita gasoline consumption falling from 500 gallons currently to about 425 gallons by 2025.

“The ability to maintain and operate the statewide transportation system is at risk,” according to the commission’s draft report. “New road projects and maintenance of the existing system are threatened by reductions in gas tax revenue.”