As Congress continues to delay long-term action on increasing spending to fix and expand federal roadways, states are reviving talk of increasing fuel taxes to repair and upgrade their highways.

Michigan and Texas are the latest states to consider raising more money for roads.

Fully one-third of Michigan highways were in poor condition in 2008, a percentage that could climb dramatically in coming years if lawmakers dont pump more money into transportation, say road advocates in that state.

The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association put out a list of cities and counties with the largest amount of bad roads. Detroit led the list, followed by Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

"Michigans local road systems are collapsing because funding continues to plummet," Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association lobbyist Mike Nystrom said in a statement. "This isnt a case of road agencies not doing their jobs."

According to the association, 25 percent of federally funded roads were in poor condition in 2007, rising to 32 percent in 2008. About a third of Michigans 287,780 miles of roads are federally funded.

Road quality could hit an even bigger pothole in fiscal 2010-11, when the state is likely to lose up to $576 million in federal highway funds because it wont have the $102 million it needs to nab the matching funds.

If that happens, Michigan will go from spending more than $1.2 billion annually on highways to around $500 million next year and in following years, shoving road projects and the jobs that go with them off the drawing board.

A Transportation Funding Task Force that Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed in 2008 has suggested converting the states 19-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax to a tax on the wholesale price of gas and raising vehicle registration fees to eventually raise more money for roads. Others have suggested raising the fuel tax over three years to 28 cents per gallon.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jud Gilbert has introduced a bill to raise the state tax on diesel fuel by 4 cents per gallon.

Meanwhile, in Texas, legislators concerned about how to pay for new highways suggested looking at increasing the 20 cents a gallon state fuel tax.

State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Sen. John Carona of Dallas, says Texas is growing but has no money to build more roads and "no more debt that we can issue."

He noted the state fuel tax has been the same since 1991.