An opinion piece in Governing discusses why there is a disconnect between infrastructure needs and funding and offers some thoughts on addressing it.

When infrastructure works well, it is almost invisible and people take it for granted. You turn on the faucet and water comes out. You get in your car and then arrive at your destination.

Related to this invisibility factor is that in many cases we have divorced payment for infrastructure from its consumption. When we go to a store, we part with our money and come away with something that we want. But when we pay our taxes, we don’t have a clear understanding about how the money is spent — on infrastructure or anything else.

Another reason for the disconnect is that when infrastructure is well-designed and well-implemented, it often inflates the value of well-served land.

The author proposes congestion pricing and value capture as options for addressing these issues.

For a full report on this issue click here.