Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, a Republican, called for new sources of revenue to finance the state's highways and highway maintenance in an interview with the Better Mississippi Report. The state's 18-cents-per-gallon tax isn't enough to keep up with costs, he said, promoting a higher tax and toll roads in the state.

"The cold, hard facts are (the gasoline tax) doesn't generate what it did. The only reason that we are not at a worst bind than we are is there are a lot more vehicles out there than there used to be. In fact, in a 10-year period in Mississippi the number of 18-wheelers increased 99.1 percent," Hall said.

"At some point, that's going to level off. As I said, the automobiles get higher and higher gas mileage. And the more gasoline goes up ... people are going to drive less. So, the resources are fewer and the dollar buys less than it used to."

"The tolls are certainly a possibility," Hall added. "We are looking at everything out there. But sooner or later, Congress, the president, our governor and our Legislature are going to have to face up and say 'We've got to face this thing. We've got to fund some kind of solution.'"