Did your state gain or lose as feds doled out money for highways?

From 2005 to 2009, all states received more federal highway funds than were contributed to the highway account of the Highway Trust Fund, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. Congress authorized an additional $30 billion from general tax revenues to make up for shrinking fuel-tax revenue and keep state road budgets going, but some question whether the funding was distributed fairly.

The map below (click to enlarge) shows the amount each state received per dollar contributed through fuel taxes paid within the state. The agency compared the percentage of the fund that came from each state with the percentage of fund payments they received; 28 states received relatively lower shares compared to what they collected and 22 states got relatively more than they contributed.

Utah was among those on the short end of the stick. It received "only an 89.2 percent relative share compared with other states, also ranking No. 38 among the states," Lee Davidson of The Salt Lake Tribune writes, despite the agency saying its formulas focus on ensuring states "receive roughly what they contribute." (Read more)

The GAO study was made at the request of Rep. Nick Joe Rahall of West Virginia, top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, who told Ashley Halsey of The Washington Post that the report confirms the need for a new surface transportation bill. (Read more)