OLYMPIA – Replace the gasoline tax with per-mile charge for use of roads? That’s a possibility the state Transportation Commission will explore soon.

At its meeting in Olympia next week, the Washington State Transportation Commission will receive a briefing and update on the road-usage-charge assessment that is under way, and a performance update of the three major toll facilities operating in the state.

The meeting starts 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Transportation Building, 310 Maple Park Ave. SE, on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. This meeting is open to the public and persons wishing to speak to the commission may do so during the public comment periods at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, the commission will consider recent developments in road usage charging in other states and countries and review the business case for future road usage charging in Washington State. A road usage charge is a potential long-term, sustainable transportation funding source, under which the current per gallon gas tax could be replaced with a per mile charge for usage of the roads. The commission, working with a broad-based steering committee, will consider which unresolved legal, operational and policy issues to address in 2015-2016.

Tuesday afternoon the Washington State Department of Transportation will brief the commission regarding the first month of Interstate 405 express toll lanes operations. WSDOT also will report on Tacoma Narrows Bridge and SR 520 Bridge traffic and revenue performance for the 2015 fiscal year that ended June 30. Later in the afternoon, the commission will hear proposed solutions for increased preservation and safety investment in the state’s 134 public-use airports, as recommended in a recent study led by WSDOT.

On Wednesday morning, WSDOT will brief the commission on the draft Public Transportation Plan currently out for public review and comment. The commission also will receive an update on the work WSDOT is doing to develop practical solutions for transportation infrastructure. Practical solutions focus on project purpose to enable more flexible and sustainable transportation investment decisions, resulting in more cost-effective solutions.

The meeting will conclude with an update from WSDOT on its work to expand passenger rail service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon. All Aboard Washington, an advocate for passenger rail service, also will share its ideas for future passenger rail service in the state.

For more information about the commission and a complete meeting agenda, visit: www.wstc.wa.gov/