Stupid article.
No....if there are potholes, it's 100% due to the gross incompetence of the various Government agencies, not due to a lack of gas tax revenue.
Exhibit A on the above assertion:
The replacement State Highway 520 bridge linking Seattle to the various cities to the east of Lake Washington.
Cost of the original bridge: 21 million in then (1963) year dollars.
Cost fo the new bridge: Current estimate is 4,650 million (e.g. 4.65 Billion with a B).
Using the BLS inflation calculator for 1963 (original bridge opening) to 2015, 21 million in then year dollars is the same as 163.3 million in 2015 dollars.
So, lets do the math on how much more expensive the replacement bridge is versus the new bridge back then:
4650 / 163.3 = 28.47 times.
OK, so I could see if the new bridge was wider / had more lanes - yeah, 6 total versus 4 (the extra lanes being for transit, but I don't think the local bus agency is paying for them). So let's factor on to the original bridge....3x the cost for the 1.5x the number of lanes....just to be generous.
Built to modern seismic standards.....ok, Lets say this doubles the cost.
And then what? Where is the rest of the 20x plus cost versus the original bridge going to?
Up thread, someone mentioned feather bedding / corruption...yeah, you can bet!! But it isn't mobsters raking it in, but corrupt, lazy ass government officials protecting their cushy gig. The original bridge took 3 years to complete. The current boondoggle has been going on a lot longer than that already....and we're still more than a year from opening.
Exhibit B to my above assertion: The Seattle waterfront tunnel. Google the joke yourself.
And feel free to think of any local instances of gross incompetence and corruption in your local government transportation agency.
The difference between the Government and private corporations (Wall Street bastards excepted) is that when private corporations are complete and utter fuck ups, they go out of business, are bankrupted, assets are seized and sold with proceeds paid to creditors. When Government's are complete and utter fuck ups, the bastards raise taxes and spend even MORE money.