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Today in Interstate History

President Reagan signs Surface Transportation assistance Act of 1982. Photo courtesy of FHWA.

January 6, 1983

President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982. The law added a nickel per gallon to the gasoline tax to help restore deteriorating highways and bridges. As Reagan pointed out at the bill-signing ceremony, "Overall, we have 4,000 miles of Interstate Highway that needs resurfacing and 23,000 bridges that need replacement or repair." The tax increase was the first of its kind in over two decades.