ARLINGTON, Va.– As expected, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission is urging the American government to drastically increase gas and diesel taxes in order to fix aging bridges and roads and expand infrastructure for growing capacity needs.

Concluding a two-year study, which launched after the tragic bridge collapse that killed 13 people in Minneapolis, the Commission is proposing broad changes to how transportation infrastructure is funded in the US.

Confirmation of a Bloomberg report from last week, the commission says it wants to see an increase to the gas tax, now 18.4 cents a gallon, by 5 cents to 8 cents annually for five years.

The American Trucking Associations, which has been a longtime supporter of increased fuel taxes as opposed to private highways and toll roads, commended the Commission’s efforts.

“Fixing our infrastructure problems is, without question, a significant financial undertaking. Current revenue streams are failing to keep pace with infrastructure needs,” says ATA President Bill Graves. “The Commission report illustrates that any increased investment must be coupled with systematic reforms, which would be essential to any long-term solution.”

“The Commission has provided a good starting point for Congress as we move toward Reauthorization in 2009,” says Graves, including:

The need to address freight movement; the important role that goods movement plays in the overall health of the U.S. economy; the need to reform the program to ensure a more performance-based system; and the need to maintain a user-fee based system.