Driving less? It's costing the state of Washington

Komo News reports:

High gas and parking prices are convincing people to drive less. Statewide, traffic volumes are down by two percent.

That may not sound like much, but it's enough to slow down the state Department of Transportation. A road construction project near you could be in jeopardy.

The high price of gas is the real problem. It's got most of us trying to figure out where we can cut back. But every time you save a gallon, it costs the state 36 cents. Save a 20-gallon tankful, and that adds up to $7.20 less for highway construction and maintenance.

No one knows just how bad the problem is yet.

"But It's substantial," said David Dye with the state DOT. "It's probably not a billion-dollar problem, but it is a hundred million-dollar plus problem."

So who's worried? Try the governor.

"We can't go to the gas tax. That isn't going to work anymore. It isn't working now. We can't simply say to ferry users, 'we're going to up you every time we have a need for more money.' We've got to have a whole new way of doing business," said Gov. Chris Gregoire.