Fixing bridges and roads: More delay, more cost

It used to be that lower prices for oil meant more driving and thus more gas-tax revenue. But these days fewer people are driving. Young people don't have the desire for having their own cars,  and for driving in general, that young people used to have and the burgeoning number of aging Baby Boomers don't want to drive as much these days either. So gas-tax money, which can be used to repair roads and bridges, is down.

But truck driving continues heavy, and trucks do most of the damage to roads and bridges. That's why Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello's refusal so far to push a bill to impose tolls on trucks to help pay for the damage they do is irresponsible. The more delay in getting repair money, the more expensive it will be to fix the roads and bridges.