Nickel per Gallon = Safer Bridges?

For a change of pace today I took the backroads into work this morning instead of I-66 and the Toll Road. By the way, isn't the E-Z Pass lane supposed to be faster than the other lanes? Why do people feel the need to come to a complete stop at the toll booth in the E-Z Pass lane?

I heard on the radio that the federal government is considering increasing the price of gas five cents per gallon of gas across the U.S. to provide funding to fix the nation's bridges. This idea sounds like a great one on the surface. However before agreeing to this I would obviously like to see how much revenue is expected to be gained out of this increase as well as where the budget is going to be allocated. Clear-cut uses for this increased funding to me include buying new materials to replace old bridges as well as paying for increased numbers of inspectors and engineers. However, how about investing in the nation's engineering programs as well as technologies that can better help detect bridge fatigue? Why not build a better bridge to begin with? This starts with having competent bridge engineers and managers at the helm.