MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont transportation officials are studying highway tolls as a potential solution to fill a growing hole in the state’s budget. Faltering gasoline tax collections are expected to leave a $33 million gap in the Transportation Fund. That would cost the state another $60 million in federal matching funds. Some WCAX viewers have asked whether a toll system might be the answer.

Right now, most of the money to maintain roads comes from gas taxes. But drivers are traveling fewer miles in more efficient cars, leading to a drop in gas tax collections. At the same time, the cost of repairing roads has spiked.

VTrans says they are looking into tolls to generate more revenue. Thirty-four other states collect tolls, including neighboring in New York, New Hampshire, and Mass

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