By Adam Pagnucco.
A new poll by Gonzales Research finds that a majority of Maryland voters not only favor proceeding with new transportation projects – they are also willing to consider paying more to finance them. The poll was financed by the Together for Transportation Funding Coalition, a group of business, construction, engineering and materials organizations.
The poll asked a sample of 820 Maryland voters a series of questions about transportation projects and funding from August 24 through 30. It has a margin of error of +/-3.5%. It shows that 71% support proceeding with the American Legion Bridge/I-270 toll lane project, 65% favor Baltimore’s Red Line project and 60% support adding express lanes on the southside part of the Capital Beltway. On possible funding options, majorities are willing to consider public-private partnerships, local tax dollars and a one-cent sales tax increase.
Support for transportation funding is concentrated among Democrats, Black voters and residents of Baltimore City and the Washington suburbs.
A year ago, I wrote a five-part series about Maryland’s transportation funding crisis. Reduced gas tax and toll revenues, a shift to electric vehicles and lower transit fare collections have combined with higher construction and operating costs to decimate the state’s Transportation Trust Fund. The General Assembly passed a package of fee increases in the last session that warded off immediate collapse, but the state has still put most new projects on hold.
Montgomery Perspective readers have often seen criticisms of profligate government spending on this site and you will no doubt see more. But in the case of state transportation funding, what we are seeing is steep cost increases and an antiquated revenue structure that cannot finance legitimate needs without an overhaul. The issue deserves attention from Annapolis.
The Together for Transportation Funding Coalition’s press release is reprinted below along with Gonzales’s polling report.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Len Foxwell, len.foxwell@tredavonstrategies.com
MARYLAND’S ROAD FORWARD.
Majority of Marylanders would pay more for better roads, highways and transit; “The urgency has never been greater, and public support has never been stronger.”
ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 1, 2024) – As Marylanders continue to navigate roads that are chronically congested and unsafe, while boarding transit lines that are increasingly unreliable, a new poll confirms that a majority of registered voters would be willing to pay more for significant improvements to the state’s transportation infrastructure.
By a 55-42 percent margin, poll respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay more in taxes if doing so would boost the Maryland economy, improve safety, and relieve gridlock. Gonzales Research & Media Services surveyed 820 Maryland voters between August 24 and 30, with the results having a margin of error of 3.5%. The poll’s results and analysis can be found here.
“This poll simply confirms that the people of Maryland are concerned about the severe economic and social costs of failing transportation infrastructure. Marylanders recognize that more revenue is necessary to solve these problems and are willing to invest in true solutions,” said Michael Sakata, President & CEO of the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association, which commissioned the Gonzales Poll. Sakata serves as president of the Together for Transportation Funding Coalition and as a member of the Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs (the TRAIN Commission).
Support for infrastructure investment ran strongest among registered Democrats, women, and Black voters. When asked “if you knew that Maryland could significantly reduce traffic congestion, upgrade infrastructure, and enhance transit service…would you be willing to pay a little more in taxes to make those investments happen, or not,” 72 percent of Black voters responded affirmatively, as did 71 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of women. The strongest regional support for transportation investment came from residents of Baltimore City (66 percent) and the Washington suburbs (63).
Other key findings of the poll include:
Seventy-one percent of Marylanders, including a majority of all demographic groups, favored replacing the American Legion Bridge and adding new express lanes to I-270. Only 13 percent were in opposition. The strongest support came from residents of the Washington suburbs (79 percent), Black voters (76 percent), registered Democrats (73 percent), and women (72 percent).
Seventy-one percent of Marylanders, including a majority of all demographic groups, were more likely to support an increase in Maryland transportation funding once informed that the state has a $3.3 billion backlog of aging & obsolete roads, bridges, and transit, and that greater infrastructure investment can “reduce accident rates and prevent tragic loss of life.” Strongest support for this category came from Black voters (87 percent) registered Democrats (82), Washington suburban residents (75), and women (74);
Sixty-nine percent of voters, including a majority of all demographic groups, were more likely to support an increase in transportation finding once informed that every dollar invested in transportation generates $3-4 in new economic growth. Strongest support for this position came from registered Democrats (81 percent), Black voters (81), Baltimore City residents (78), and women (73);
When asked about potential funding options, statewide voters expressed the strongest support for the greater use of public-private partnerships (66 percent), laws that would allow local jurisdictions to fund projects with local tax dollars (65), and a possible one-cent sales tax increase dedicated exclusively to transportation improvements (53).
A decisive plurality of Marylanders believed “improving maintenance of roads and bridges” should be our state’s most important transportation priority.
o Forty-six (46) percent, including a plurality across demographic, partisan, and regional lines, felt that road and bridge maintenance should be the top priority;
o Twenty-six (26) percent felt that “reducing traffic congestion and delays” should be the top priority;
o Nineteen (19) percent opted for “more travel and transportation options;”
o Four percent chose “improving maintenance of bus and transit facilities.”
The poll’s findings emerge as Maryland’s elected leaders and stakeholders are forced to address a transportation funding crisis caused by what has been described as a “perfect storm.” The widespread adoption of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles has led to a significant drop in gas sales since 2005. The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the decline of gas sales and resulted in diminishing ridership. Meanwhile, over the past decade, highway and heavy construction costs have risen by more than 50 percent.
“While the circumstances that have brought us to the precipice were beyond our control, Maryland’s leaders now have the chance to change our future for the better,” said Sakata. “The urgency has never been greater, and public support has never been stronger. By making a generational investment in our state’s infrastructure, Governor Moore and the legislature have a historic opportunity to save lives, support well-paying jobs, and make Maryland a better place to live.”
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The full report can be downloaded below.