Page:America's Highways 1776–1976.djvu/486

 {|
 * + —Comparison of the 1958 and the 1961 estimates of total cost for the 41,000-mile Interstate System (Millions of dollars)
 * rowspan=2 | Item
 * colspan=2 | 1958
 * colspan=2 | 1961
 * | Total cost
 * | Federal funds
 * | Total cost
 * | Federal funds
 * | 1. Interstate System routes included in 1958 estimates:
 * | $ 37,570
 * | $ 33,900
 * | $ 36,848
 * | $ 33,234
 * | 2. Remaining system mileage:
 * | 1,613
 * | 1,452
 * | 1961 estimate (1,528 miles), excluding 950 miles of 1,000-mile addition:
 * | 1,209
 * | 1,087
 * | 216
 * | 195
 * | 220
 * | 198
 * | 308
 * | 277
 * | 1,613
 * | 1,452
 * | 1,953
 * | 1,757
 * | 3. Routes included in 1,000-mile addition:
 * | 1,111
 * | 1,000
 * | 1961 estimate (950 miles)
 * | 449
 * | 404
 * | 40,294
 * | 36,352
 * | 39,250
 * | 35,395
 * | 574
 * | 511
 * | 357
 * | 357
 * | 706
 * | 648
 * | 809
 * | 737
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * }
 * | 216
 * | 195
 * | 220
 * | 198
 * | 308
 * | 277
 * | 1,613
 * | 1,452
 * | 1,953
 * | 1,757
 * | 3. Routes included in 1,000-mile addition:
 * | 1,111
 * | 1,000
 * | 1961 estimate (950 miles)
 * | 449
 * | 404
 * | 40,294
 * | 36,352
 * | 39,250
 * | 35,395
 * | 574
 * | 511
 * | 357
 * | 357
 * | 706
 * | 648
 * | 809
 * | 737
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * }
 * | 1,000
 * | 1961 estimate (950 miles)
 * | 449
 * | 404
 * | 40,294
 * | 36,352
 * | 39,250
 * | 35,395
 * | 574
 * | 511
 * | 357
 * | 357
 * | 706
 * | 648
 * | 809
 * | 737
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * }
 * | 357
 * | 357
 * | 706
 * | 648
 * | 809
 * | 737
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * }
 * | 737
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * | $ 41,000
 * | $ 37,000
 * }
 * | $ 37,000
 * }

The 1961 estimate report stated that the estimates reflected accurate appraisals of the cost in each State based on 1959 price levels but “do not represent a commitment of funds to the location, design, or cost of individual projects to be undertaken on the Interstate System.” The estimates were considered adequate for establishing apportionment factors for distributing Federal funds among the States for the fiscal years 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966— the purpose for which Congress intended the estimate—and for the enactment of necessary legislation modifying the level of authorization for construction of the Interstate System and providing the revenue needed to pay for the costs involved.

The highway cost allocation study, undertaken pursuant to the 1956 Act, was reported on to Congress in January 1961. Its purpose was to provide Congress with information on which it might make an equitable distribution of the Federal tax burden for the support of the Federal-aid highway program among the various classes of persons using Federal-aid highways or otherwise deriving benefits from them. The need for additional revenue to meet the cost of the Interstate System program had already become evident from the 1958 cost estimate, as substantiated by the 1961 cost estimate.

The highway cost allocation study was unquestionably the most comprehensive and exhaustive study of highway economics ever undertaken. The study findings relative to highway-user benefits of passenger cars and trucks of different weight categories strongly influenced the legislation that was to put Interstate financing back on a sound basis.

In February 1961 President Kennedy, in a message to Congress, endorsed continuation of the pay-as-you-go principle and support of the Federal-aid highway program wholly by highway-user taxes, for which he recommended certain increases. After extensive study, the Congress rejuvenated the Interstate program by passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1961.

Under the 1956 Act, as amended in 1958 and 1959, some $11.7 billion of Federal Interstate funds had already been apportioned to the States for fiscal years 1957–62. The 1961 Act revised the remaining authorization schedule to provide $2.4 billion for fiscal year 1963, $2.6 billion for 1964, $2.7 billion for 1965, $2.8 billion for 1966, $2.9 billion for 1967, $3.0 billion each for 1968, 1969, and 1970, and $2,885 billion for 1971. Thus the total of Federal funds apportioned or authorized was increased to $37 billion, the 90-percent Federal share of the total $41 billion Interstate program cost. 480