Proposed Toll Booths at State Line

Interesting how a lot of people get riled up about putting toll booths on existing roads. I believe that is what is being proposed for our segment of 95 but they crammed HOT down our throats. Double standard.

Remember HOT on 95 will be 24/7. That is converting an existing free road to TOLL and should be illegal.


From ABC 7 News:
Virginia, N.C. Lawmakers Push Border Toll for I-95
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Posted: May 19, 2006 1:51 PM EST
URL: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0506/329251.html


Raleigh, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina and Virginia hope to go into the toll road business together.

A law passed by Virginia's General Assembly in April and legislation filed this week in Raleigh would set up a toll booth at the border on Interstate 95, charging each passing car $5.

The money raised through the Virginia-North Carolina Interstate Toll Road Compact would be split between the states and used for improvements to the highway.

"We proposed this to get the discussion started about the concept," Sen. Clark Jenkins, D-Edgecombe, said Thursday.

North Carolina's Transportation Department estimates I-95 through the state needs $4 billion in repairs. A broad gap between tax revenue and rising construction costs means state leaders must consider tolls and other fundraising sources, Jenkins said.

State law currently bars placing toll booths on existing roadways, but allows them on new roads and bridges.

Last year, the Legislature directed the Transportation Department to ask the federal government for permission for I-95 toll booths. That request - and similar ones from Virginia, South Carolina and Florida - is pending.

Gov. Mike Easley quashed a toll proposal three years ago, and a spokesman said Thursday that he still opposes putting toll booths on existing highways. But Jenkins believes Easley may change his mind, given the circumstances.

"I think he's seeing the fact that we've got a real cash crunch at DOT, and you've got pieces of I-95 that are over 20 years old," Jenkins said.

Eastern North Carolina tourism interests also oppose the toll road.

Halifax County, which has lost 3,000 textile jobs over the past decade, is pinning its economic hopes on a new hotel and entertainment project in Roanoke Rapids, 11 miles south of the Virginia line.

"We don't need tolls thrown up on I-95, when I-95 is a lifeline for our community," said Lori Medlin, director of the Halifax County Tourism Development Authority.

Virginia's DOT estimates that the $5-per-car toll will generate $65 million annually for each state - and that doesn't include revenue from trucks, because no toll rate for those vehicles has been set. Trucks make up about 30 percent of I-95 traffic.

The author of Virginia's law, Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, said North Carolina and Virginia drivers already have to pay tolls on I-95 in five Northern states.

"So how can we collect our fair share for maintaining our highways when their citizens travel through Virginia and North Carolina?" Wagner said. "Unless they stop to buy gas, they don't put a nickel in our coffers."

What ever happened to the proposed SPEED BUMPS being installed on the freeway to slow traffic down?