Whatever problems are solved in Lansing's budget negotiations, it's a safe bet road funding won't be among them.

By 2011, Michigan's declining gas taxes will not provide enough money to generate matching federal dollars. The state will lose nearly $2 billion from Washington over three years.

The immediate solution that will be advanced will likely be an increase in gas taxes. That is a reasonable, but limited, fix.

A recent development points toward a different, or supplementary, route. Ohio is the 14th state in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to join the E-Z Pass tolling system.

E-ZPass uses a small electronic tag attached to the windshield inside a car to automatically charge drivers at toll collection points. The technology makes it easier for drivers to get through toll booths, and cuts down on the staff hours needed.
Policy makers with an eye toward the long haul will take note of other solutions to road funding. The nation's expanding system of toll roads should be among them.