FRESNO, Calif (FOX26) — Sixteen years after discussions began, the Road Charge Project remains a topic of debate as California lawmakers seek alternatives to the diminishing gas tax revenue.
With the passage of SB 1077 in 2014, the initiative aimed to explore a mileage-based road usage fee as an alternative way to fund road maintenance.
With more Californians switching to electric vehicles and avoiding traditional fuel taxes, lawmakers argue that a pay-per-mile system could be the fairest solution.
SB 1077 led to a pilot program in 2016 to assess the feasibility of a mileage-based fee system.
At that time, there were just over 300,000 electric cars on California highways. By 2025, that number has soared to more than 1.26 million, meaning a significant loss in gas tax contributions.
Adam Hoffer, Director of Excise Tax Policy, highlights the issue:
“Gas taxes are really unpopular to increase. So they tend to stay kind of flat, and inflation erodes the ability for stagnant gas taxes to keep up with rising construction costs.”
The Road Charge Project was designed to offset these losses and ensure continued funding for road maintenance and repairs.
Between 2016 and 2018, California conducted trials using mileage tracking devices to gauge the potential financial impact on drivers. Despite this data, lawmakers may still struggle to gain public support for the proposal.
Madera County Supervisor Robert Poythress believes there is widespread misunderstanding about the initiative:
“It’s very political. It’s not going to be popular with the residents of the state of California because I think many people don’t understand. They think that they’re going to be paying at the pump plus paying per mile. And that’s not the case.”
To help residents understand their potential costs, the Road Charge Project website provides a calculator to estimate monthly expenses. In Fresno, the average family of five drives approximately 2,400 miles per month, which could equate to an estimated $50 monthly charge under the proposed system.
Poythress emphasizes the urgency of finding a sustainable funding source:
“It’s becoming more and more critical that we find a new way to raise money for our roads because at the pump, the gas tax that we’re collecting is diminishing.”
The Road Charge Project will hold a meeting at the Fresno Government’s Transportation Office on April 18th. Supervisor Poythress encourages community members to stay informed about the proposal and how it could impact road infrastructure funding in California.
