I gather you've been through Pennsylvania.
Posted on 09/20/2011 2:11:58 AM PDT by markomalley
Virginia received preliminary approval from the Federal Highway Administration last week to implement tolls on Interstate 95.
FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez granted the conditional approval in a letter dated Sept. 14, but the commonwealth announced the news Monday morning.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) has sought the approval to toll on the southern reaches of I-95 to raise revenue to improve the congested corridor.
“I-95 is one of the most important and heavily traveled highway corridors in the country, linking population and commercial centers up and down the East Coast,” McDonnell said in a statement. “Limited funds and growing capital and maintenance needs have led to deficient pavements and structures, congestion, higher crash density and safety concerns. This approval is a major step toward funding critical capacity and infrastructure improvements needed in this corridor.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton said in May that officials were considering one toll collection facility at the North Carolina border because “most of the traffic is interstate.”
VDOT estimates that the tolls could raise $50 million a year to pay for expansion, improvements and rehabilitation, including widening I-95 between Interstate 295 and the North Carolina border.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ever take I-95 up past Trenton NJ? Bizarre.
>>southern reaches of I-95 to raise revenue to improve the congested corridor.
Anyway they can reach into our pockets, I guess. Truckers, look out. Highways are in horrible shape in most states. Fix the roads and beautify America again. Our nation needs help in all elements. Fire the socialist regime who wants higher taxes! Sorry, I had to get it out :o)
If it moves, TAX it!
I haven't been on 81 in years, but it was basically, in some states, a pot holed hell.
And be sure the work is done by union labor. /s
the whole corridor is tuning into a city street for stopping, traffic lights are sometimes quicker to sit through
shocking...........mcdonnell has been good til now....took us 20 years to get rid of old tolls which were “temporary”.....and i work for a trucking company so double wammy
So explain to me how setting up a Toll, will “improve the congested corridor” unless you are talking about adding MORE CONGESTION to the highway! As soon as these go up there will be backups for MILES!
And answer me this, why is ANY state allowed to setup tolls on an INTERSTATE highway? Tolls should be for INTRA-STATE highways. INTERSTATE highways should be fully funded by the gas/diesel tax ONLY!
They used to have toll booths between Richmond and Petersburg along I-95. I don’t recall exactly when they removed them. maybe 10 or 15 years ago? (Time kind of flies by the older I get)
It’s nice to live out west where roads can cross 10,000 foot passes, cross deserts, have the most beautiful bridges across chasm’s deep enough to touch the fires of hell. The roads can see -20 to 100 degrees throughout the year, and see changes of 70 degrees in 24 hours. There can be snow in July....but somehow, still be maintainable using only gas taxes. Somehow, I think, if crony companies, and prevaling wages were not an issue, the roads of the eastern states could be as pothole free as the dirt roads of Nevada.
I-81 is wall-to-wall trucks. There was a plan to create “truck only” lanes with a toll but not sure the current status.
The roads will most likely use high speed tolling - similar to what Florida uses.
And yes, Interstates can be tolled. The New York State Thruway is an example.
I gather you've been through Pennsylvania.
In the East it is easy to see what lobby paid the most for the hookers for the legislatures...it was the Concrete Lobby. I-295 around Richmond is part concrete and part asphalt. The concrete portion constantly has huge potholes that must be cut out and refilled. Every few years the asphalt gets re-milled and resurfaced. I think eventually they will invent a milling machine that takes it up at the front, heats/remixes and puts it down at the back. This will cut out the requirement to haul the old mix to the plant and return it.
Roads have to be paid for. That’s a simple fact. We can either pay for them through gas taxes or through tolls.
The reality is that gas tax revenue has been declining for a while. It is at the point that agencies no longer consider it a viable funding source. Threats from Congress to divert gas tax revenue to things other than transportation doesn’t make the situation better.
I would think conservatives and Tea Party types would prefer tolls to the gas tax. Afterall, what could be better than making the people who use the road pay for the road?
There isn't enough money left after every two-bit town gets its own monorail.
Gov. McDonnell: Toll takers are union slugs/thugs. Do we need MORE Dims in VA?
The traffic in northern Virdinia was a big factor in me leaving the state in 1993.
Virginia drivers love their vanity plates. I was sitting on I-95 one afternoon during rush hour and noticed the car in front of me had this plate:
I95 SUX
In MA, the gas tax revenue is simply folded into the “general revenue”, which of course means that precious little of it goes to the intended purposes of maintaining our roads (which do not vote or carry election signage for the “Democratic” party here).
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