United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-11-28 monographic deposited born digital 74 p. GA 1.13:RCED-96-6 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6 P0b002ee18038af70 f:rc96006 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6 RCED-96-6 Trust funds Road construction Interstate highway system Federal aid for highways Highway planning Maintenance (upkeep) Formula grants Intergovernmental fiscal relations National Highway System DOT Surface Transportation Program Highway Trust Fund FHwA Interstate Maintenance Program FHwA Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program FHwA Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program Highway Trust Fund Highway Account Highway Trust Fund Mass Transit Account Interstate Highway System FHwA Interstate Construction Program DOT Interstate Substitution Program FHwA Scenic Byways Program FHwA Safety Belt and Motorcycle Helmet Program FHwA Federal-Aid Highway Program FHwA Classification System Other Written Product RCED Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the formula for distributing federal highway funds, focusing on the: (1) relevancy of the data used for the formula; (2) major funding objectives implicit in the formula; and (3) implications of alternative formula factors for achieving these objectives.<p/>GAO found that: (1) the federal highway funding formula is complex and cumbersome; (2) the underlying data and factors used in the formula are to a large extent irrelevant, since funding outcomes are essentially predetermined; (3) annual combined funding for the four largest highway programs is fixed throughout the 6-year life of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA); (4) some of the factors used in formula calculations are based on outdated information, are unresponsive to changing conditions, and often do not reflect the highway system's utilization; (5) equity adjustments increase many states' final funding levels; (6) funding for demonstration projects is not determined by formula; (7) ISTEA objectives include maintaining and improving the highway infrastructure, returning Highway Trust funds to the states where the revenue was generated, advancing selected goals, and safeguarding the states' historical funding shares; and (8) a combination of objectives based on states' needs and resources could form the basis for a new formula, but any new formula is likely to change the states' highway funding levels. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6.pdf GAO/RCED-96-6 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-96-6 Other Written Product GAO/RCED-96-6; Highway Funding: Alternatives for Distributing Federal Funds; Trust funds Road construction Interstate highway system Federal aid for highways Highway planning Maintenance (upkeep) Formula grants Intergovernmental fiscal relations National Highway System DOT Surface Transportation Program Highway Trust Fund FHwA Interstate Maintenance Program FHwA Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program FHwA Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program Highway Trust Fund Highway Account Highway Trust Fund Mass Transit Account Interstate Highway System FHwA Interstate Construction Program DOT Interstate Substitution Program FHwA Scenic Byways Program FHwA Safety Belt and Motorcycle Helmet Program FHwA Federal-Aid Highway Program FHwA Classification System Public Law 102-240