Va. seeks tolls on I-95 near N.C. border (Richmond Times Dispatch)
Tolls, once a familiar sight in the Richmond area, would be instituted on the North Carolina line if a proposal by Gov. Bob McDonnell is granted.
The McDonnell administration has asked federal transportation officials for permission to place tolls on traffic on Interstate 95 near the North Carolina border and projected it could raise as much as $60 million a year to improve the highway.
Adding a fee of up to $4 per car on one of the country’s most heavily traveled arteries could reap $30 million to $60 million a year, according to the administration. The money would have to be spent on improvements along the corridor, but it would free up dollars for other projects in the state.
In a letter to the Federal Highway Administration requesting the approval, Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton says I-95 is the most traveled interstate in Virginia and that improvements would have a “significant safety impact.”
He estimates that more than 38,000 cars and trucks per day will cross the state line on I-95 this year. Under Virginia’s proposal, northbound and southbound drivers would pay the toll.
Because I-95 is so heavily traveled, tolls could be a lucrative addition to the state’s transportation coffers.
“Such user fees will help the commonwealth generate the revenue necessary to make much-needed infrastructure and safety improvements in the I-95 corridor to better serve the traveling public and increase economic productivity,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said in a release.
Federal law restricts the ability of states to put tolls on I-95, but Virginia previously was granted approval to require tolls on Interstate 81 under a pilot program, and the administration now is asking to switch that authority to I-95.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has had $4.6 billion in budget cuts in the past two years, according to the administration, which has identified more than $600 million in safety and infrastructure improvements needed on I-95 between North Carolina and Fredericksburg.
The state is responsible to maintain the highway within its borders. Though the federal government gives the state money to operate and maintain the highway, Virginia officials say that funding doesn’t meet the cost.
Even if the state gets the green light from federal transportation officials and adds the tolls, it needs to work out logistics, such as enforcement for drivers from other states who don’t pay.
“It would be very problematic trying to toll the interstate,” said Ray D. Pethtel, who served for eight years as Virginia’s transportation commissioner.
If the state installs traditional tolling booths, it risks clogging traffic. If it uses open-road tolling, such as equipment that takes a picture of a license plate and then bills the driver for the toll, it faces enforcement problems.
“You’re going to need to have other states willing to collect or enforce the toll unless you stop them and have cash only,” he said.
“Especially on 95, you’re going to have traffic from Maine to Florida. And if you’re billing a car from Maine, will they pay? And if they don’t pay, can you force or can you get Maine to agree to collect the toll and send it to you?”
Connaughton’s letter to the highway administration indicates the state would prefer to install electronic monitoring but may need some traditional toll stations.
He said estimated construction costs are $4.3 million, with annual operating, administrative and collection costs totaling $4.3 million to $5 million.
During his gubernatorial campaign, McDonnell included tolls on I-95 as one of a dozen mechanisms to fund his transportation plan.
Revenues from I-95 tolls first would be directed toward safety upgrades and then improvements to the pavement conditions and infrastructure. Then, the state could begin making changes to increase capacity.
McDonnell sent a letter April 30 to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking for the option. A federal highway authority spokeswoman said LaHood will respond to McDonnell’s letter directly.
If approved, Virginia would be the only state south of Maryland currently to have tolls on I-95.
By Olympia Meola
Published: May 11, 2010
