Some grim statistics released Tuesday by a national transportation research group have prompted lawmakers to talk about funding the road ahead.

“We were very fortunate in the last Legislative session … to be able to get the indexing on the gas tax,” said Nevada Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio. “We do need to look at a funding mechanism.”

State Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, a Sparks resident, agreed.

“Those of us who drive in this city know that this report is accurate,” Smith said. “Just like everything else, we know that if we don’t pay now we will pay later.”

The report, “Future Mobility in Nevada: Meeting the State’s Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility,” was released by The Road Information Program, or TRIP, a Washington D.C. nonprofit research group.

According to the report, Nevada’s traffic fatality rate is higher than the national average, with 13 percent of the state’s roads in poor or fair condition. The report also states that the average Reno motorist pays $972 annually because of extra vehicle operating costs, lost fuel due to congestion and poor road conditions.

“The TRIP report quantifies the very real costs to drivers when funding for highways doesn’t keep up with the needs,” Raggio said. “Our highway budget has been going down while demands on the system have been steadily increasing.”

TRIP’s report also lamented the Oct. 31 expiration of a federal surface transportation program, which has pumped $2.77 billion in federal funding into Nevada road improvements since 1998. The program has also given $520 million to statewide public transit since 1998.

The report pushed for the renewal of this funding. With the current federal transportation program set to expire, Congress has an opportunity to approve a new federal surface transportation program according to TRIP officials.

“Nevada has benefited tremendously from the federal surface transportation program,” said Will Wilkins, executive director of TRIP. “While the state has put this combination of federal and state funds to good use in the past, in the coming years, many additional needed projects will remain stranded on the drawing board because of insufficient funding. It is critical that the state adequately fund its transportation system and that Congress produces a timely and adequately funded federal surface transportation program this year. Thousands of jobs and the state’s economy are riding on it.”