The survey found 93% of respondents would be in favor of policy changes increasing the metropolitan areas' share of federal funding. Only 7% of those surveyed would support a gas-tax increase without any such changes.

USCM reported that 98% of those mayors polled consider affordable, reliable transportation to be an important part of their cities' economic recovery and growth. In addition, 96% of the respondents feel that the federal government should provide more funding for transportation infrastructure. More specifically, 89% of those mayors indicated support to increase the federal gas tax if a greater share of the funding went to local road and bridge infrastructure, while 65% would support a higher tax if money was invested in public transit. In addition, 75% of the respondents expressed support to increase the tax if more money was invested in bicycle and pedestrian projects.

A vast majority, 80%, of mayors surveyed believe that highway expansion should be a low priority.

"As the federal government sets priorities for long-term spending and deficit reduction, future transportation infrastructure investments should focus spending on pressing metropolitan transportation infrastructure needs as opposed to low-priority highway expansion projects," Kassim Reed, mayor of Atlanta and chair of the USCM Transportation Committee, said at a press conference to release the survey.

Three-fourths of mayors polled said they support financing tools such as Build America Bonds, Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans, and a new national infrastructure bank to help expedite or increase the number of transportation projects that could be launched.

Responses to the survey came from 176 cities in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Cities with populations of less than 100,000 accounted for 56% of the responses, while 14% came from cities with at least 500,000 residents.

The eight-page survey, "Metropolitan Transportation Infrastructure Survey," is available at bit.ly/USCM-Survey.