State officials hope to start work on a massive backlog of road and bridge projects, now that Governor Nathan Deal has signed a transportation funding bill. The measure is supposed to raise $900 million a year in new revenue.

To do that, it replaces the state’s gas tax with an excise tax (26 cents per gallon on gasoline, 29 cents per gallon on diesel fuel). The bill also eliminates the state’s generous $5,000 tax credit for electric vehicle purchases. Owners of those cars will now pay a $200 annual fee. There’s also a five dollar a night fee on hotel stays. The new provisions in the law take effect July 1.

While the bill contains no additional funding for transit, it does allow counties to hold referendums on funding local projects with a sales tax increase. Chairman John Eaves says he would support such a referendum in Fulton County.

Tags: transportation, Transportation funding, Bradley George