Gov. Rendell still pushing for tolls on I-80 in Pennsylvania

Rendell: Congress should remove restrictions on tolling of interstates - Post-Gazette
There he goes again -- Gov. Ed Rendell wants Congress to give Pennsylvania and other states the ability to establish tolls along highways. Interstate 80 which runs through the northern half of the state has heavy out-of-state traffic. This leads to people with no familiarity of highway funding to believe that out-of-state drivers do not contribute to the roads maintenance costs. This is fiction of course, since American motorists are responsible for 90% of interstate highway funding that is collected primarily through a national sales tax on gasoline. State gas taxes tend to fund the other 10%. in short, all American drivers pay for interstate roads. Politicians, like Rendell and a previous recent governor, Tom Ridge, apparently do not understand this either. Both called for tolls on I-80. I have even created a label called I-80 so you can follow along.

American motorists and taxpayers have paid for I-80 for over fifty years. If Pennsylvania wants to toll the road or any other previously "free" interstate highway, they should have to reimburse the highway trust fund for all costs associated up until this point. If that happens, I have no problem with them putting tolls up. I'd laugh and call Pennsylvania "the toll booth state" too. It is worth noting too that Pennsylvania got more funding from the Federal Highway Trust Fund throughout the 1990s than any other state. Of course, much of it was sent to the Altoona area by Bud Shuster, who ruled the powerful infrastructure committee that allocated highway funds. Congress shouldn't give Pennsylvannia a free pass because they spent the money poorly. If Pennsylvania wants more highway funding, they ought to increase their statewide gas tax appropriately.

H/T Jeff Kitsko, on Facebook

Interstate 80, tolls, PennDOT, Pennsylvania

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:02 PM | |

I-80 terminus

SAN FRANCISCO -- I can now say that I have been at both ends of Interstate 80. We jumped on it from US 101 at its western terminus for our brief jaunt to Treasure Island. I have been to the eastern terminus at I-95 in New Jersey several times. By the way, I think the eastern terminus needs to be somewhere in New York City, so that it can cross the George Washington Bridge. It would be fitting to have to big bridges on opposite ends of the road.

I-80 is easily the longest interstate that I have seen from both ends. The next longest is probably I-78, though I may have been to both ends of I-87, I can't say for sure. I've passed both ends of I-84, but I wasn't on the eastern end, I was on I-90 (Mass Pike). I have been on all of I-66 and I-68 too.

I-80's current terminus was once the end of US 40 and US 50 until 1964, when California wiped out most of its US routes to avoid duplication with interstate highways. I can understand getting rid of US 40 since there is an I-40 in Southern California, but would it have been so bad to keep US 50 as a sea-to-sea route? I have been to the eastern end in Ocean City, Md. Additionally, extending US 50 back to San Francisco would mean that US 50 was routed over a Bay Bridge twice since there is the William Preston Lane Jr. (Chesapeake Bay) Bridge in Maryland. One of the spans of that cross is even the same X truss style as San Francisco's Bay Bridge.

Labels: I-80, San Francisco, Transportation, Travel

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posted by WFY @ 6:16 AM | |

I-80 tolls: Pennsylvania's chronic impending disaster

Toll war building strength - CDT
Last week the CDT had the latest on Pennsylvania's I-80 tolls fiasco.

The latest twist is that state senator Scott Conklin announced that he wants to provide a $500 tax break for Pennsylvanians who regularly travel on the road. I wonder if that would be Constitutional.

I have to give credit to Run Up the Score! for introducing me to that great expression in the title.

Interstate 80, tolls, PennDOT, Pennsylvania

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posted by WFY @ 5:48 AM | |

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Happy Valley roads update: I-80 & i-99

I-80 toll concerns aired - CDT
It turns out that Central Pennsylvanians are not pleased with the hastily passed legislation that seeks to break a 51 year precedent of keeping tolls off of interstate highways built with the highway trust fund.

More from The Collegian: Citizens express doubts for I-80 highway future

Most of I-99 to open by Dec. 4 - CDT
There is good news for the i-99 corridor:

The opening will allow motorists from the Altoona area heading toward State College to stay on the four-lane, limited-access I-99 to the State College side of Skytop, where they will make the transition to existing U.S. Route 322.

Motorists heading from State College to Altoona can get onto I-99 southbound at the Port Matilda interchange and stay on it until Altoona or beyond.

Of course, this four year delay and the $50 million in cleanup costs probably could have been avoided if Bud Shuster hadn't inserted a rider exempting the construction from environmental testing, but ol' Bud liked playing by his own rules.

Interstate 80, tolls, interstate 99, Port Matilda, PennDOT, Skytop, Pennsylvania

Labels: I-80, i-99, Pennsylvania, PSU/Happy Valley, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 5:47 AM | |

Thanks elihu, I corrected it.

# posted by  WFY : Friday, November 09, 2007 12:31:00 PM  

Tolls on I-80 in Pa. one step closer

State takes first steps for tolls on I-80 - Post-Gazette
This is actually news from a few days ago. I hope the FHWA will say something along the lines "you got more gas tax money than any other state for years during the Bud Shuster era and now you want to add tolls without studying alternatives like a gas tax? No dice, mofos."

Interstate 80, tolls, Pennsylvania

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:22 PM | |

I-80 tolls protest

I got an email from Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association about a protest against tolling I-80 being held in Harrisburg on Monday. U.S. Rep. John Peterson will be there. I still think he is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons though.

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 7:25 AM | |

I-80 tolls backlash growing

Legislation to stop I-80 tolls gaining support - CDT
Backlash against tolling I-80 is gaining speed politically at the federal and state levels.

U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Plesantville, a fierce opponent of the I-80 toll plan, submitted legislation this week as a companion to Texas Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's measure, which she introduced to prohibit tolls on federal highways.

This is good news -- even though Peterson is playing up the the "rural people pay more than their share for city people" myth. By the way, An August 4 article in the Post-Gazette debunked Peterson:

In a joint news release announcing the amendment to stop the plan to toll I-80, Reps. English and Peterson said rural Pennsylvanians should not be responsible for solving statewide transportation problems.

And in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, they wrote: "Essentially, the new transportation plan would impose excessive tolls on economically challenged rural communities which are already paying their full share of gas taxes and other fees, and transfer that revenue to more prosperous suburban communities to fund transit programs that should be supported by the communities they serve."

A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examination of state transportation statistics shows the opposite to be true: Money collected from the densely populated Pittsburgh and Philadelphia urban areas generates the bulk of revenue that's spread statewide to pay for road, bridge and transit programs.

For example, Allegheny County, with 909,000, has the highest number of registered motor vehicles in the state. That also is 50 percent more than the 601,654 registered vehicles in Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Centre, Clinton and Lycoming counties combined, where I-80 passes through the 2nd and 5th Congressional Districts represented by Mr. English and Mr. Peterson.

The nearly $44 million that PennDOT collected last year from Allegheny County vehicle owners in registration fees for the state's Motor License Fund also was about 50 percent more than the total collected in all of those counties.

On the other hand, I-80 alone eats up 22 percent of all federal interstate maintenance money allocated to the state. That statewide total last year was $211.9 million.

When revenues generated by Allegheny County are combined with the five-county Philadelphia area, where transit is provided by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the urban areas are generating about 33 percent of all transportation money that is shared with the other 61 counties.

So, basically Peterson is doing the right thing, when he isn't scapegoating the economic engines of Pennsylvania. Today, in an Inky article, titled Foes raise stakes on I-80 tolls, Peterson added:

"How do you do something this big without corridor studies or economic studies?" Peterson said last week, stopping at a restaurant off I-80 for a slice of blackberry pie. He drew a map of Pennsylvania on the back of a placemat and jabbed it with his pen. "Pretty soon, there will just be a big red circle around us, saying, 'Don't go there.'"

Another good passage from the article:

Local leaders fear the ripple effect of tolls: Fewer visitors to the Autumn Leaf Festival in Clarion. Higher costs for power plants. Oversized loads trying to drive through undersized local streets. More expensive commutes for workers and college students. Fewer orders for the vendors who supply cabinets, bathtubs and trimwork to the modular housing makers.

If Pennsylvania wants to spend more money on roads, it should actually spend some time coming up with a thoughtful, reasonable solution. It seems to me that raising the fuel tax is the most pragmatic, but some legwork needs to be done before that or any other solution is implemented.

Hopefully all of the backlash in Pennsylvania will scare Virginia from going down this same path.

Interstate 80, tolls, Pennsylvania

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:12 PM | |

The I-80 tolls mess

There is a lot of backlash to the legislation to add tolls to Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania.

• The legislators in and around State College suddenly went NIMBY voted against the plan because it had the possibility of tolls in their area.
  
  
• This week in the U.S. House, Rep. John Peterson, R-Pleasantville, and Rep. Phil English, R-Erie added an amendment to the transportation bill prohibiting the use of federal funds (CDT) for the conversion. That may not make a difference because there are other ways to funds toll booth construction, but it sends a message.
  
  
• Proponents of the toll plan like Ed Rendell, the Democratic governor from Philadelphia, are again threatening to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Post-Gazette). The whole thing has the typical Pennsylvania vs. Philadelphia connotations (sound familiar Virginia residents?) because some of the funding from tolls would go to mass transit. Call it a hunch, but Philadelphia (and probably Pittsburgh too) area taxpayers are paying more than their share already, so I don't feel too bad for the rest of the Commonwealth on this one.

Of course, this mess could have probably avoided if there had been leadership (I'm looking in your direction, Bud Shuster) and a better run PennDOT, but hindsight is 20-20 and those two things seem impossible anyway. In the real world, Pennsylvania should have passed an increase in the gas tax instead of cynically trying to pass the burden of funding strictly onto out-of-state travelers. If the Federal Highway Administration says no to I-80 tolls, which it hopefully will on general principle, Pennsylvania might have to a gas tax anyway. As much I would enjoy the irony of Pennsylvania as "The Tollbooth State", I would rather a precedent for tolling interstates built with federal highway trust fund money not be set.

Interstate 80, tolls, Pennsylvania

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:15 PM | |

I-80 toll proposal is discriminatory

Plan adds toll booths - CDT
Pennsylvania Democrats are proposing adding toll plazas to Interstate 80 near the borders with New Jersey and Ohio. Two plazas further into the commonwealth will be discussed.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, reformed to subject it to more oversight, would be responsible for collecting the I-80 tolls, and motorists who live within 30 miles of the toll stations would get a free pass, Conklin said.

Some thoughts on this proposal:

• I don't know of any other situation in the U.S. where your toll is based on whether your house is within a radius to the toll plaza. That strikes me as quite unfair, perhaps even illegal.
  
  
• Does the 30 mile radius include residents of New Jersey and Ohio?
  
  
• What if you work or attend college in Pennsylvania and thus have a Pennsylvania address, do you get exempted too?
  
  
• There is already a toll just inside of Pennsylvania on I-80 for the Delaware Water Gap bridge. That one-way toll pays for the river crossing that is run by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Another toll will add to the congestion.

This idea if going to get a lot of traction because many Pennsylvanians resent out of state people, especially those from New Jersey. A widely held misconception is that the Delaware Water Gap toll is operated by the State of New Jersey, even though it is in Pennsylvania and administered by DRJTBC. Also, the complaint "they drive on our roads and wear them out without paying for them" is even more flawed. Since interstate highways are funded by a national gasoline tax, all motorists are paying for them whether they are in Scranton or San Diego. State and local taxes make up the remaining 10% necessary for the state highway fund. Realistically anybody who drives through any significant amount of Pennsylvania is probably going to need to buy gas during the trip. When someone does they contribute 100% to the Pennsylvania highway fund since they are paying local and state taxes too. Those facts are conveniently ignored, because it is much more easy to be prejudiced.

The biggest problem though is that I-80 is a public road, 90% of which was built with federal gas tax money. If Pennsylvania wants to toll it, they should have to reimburse the highway trust fund for all the money spent on I-80 from 1956 to present.

Pennsylvania, Interstate 80, tolls

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot

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posted by WFY @ 12:08 PM | |

I'm wondering the same thing. I can imagine that no one considered that possibility when the Act was written and passed.

# posted by  WFY : Tuesday, June 26, 2007 11:54:00 AM  

Pa. House wants I-80 tolls

House plan would make I-80 a toll road - The Inky
The Pennsylvania state House is pushing ahead with a plan to add tolls to I-80. Again, this is a public road that American motorists have funded 90% of for generations -- adding tolls amounts to double taxation.

The one thing I do like about this proposal is that it would be an alternative to privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Pennsylvania, Interstate 80, tolls

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:08 PM | |

Centre County wants I-80 tolls

Panel to urge study of I-80 tolls - CDT
Now Centre County politicians are talking about putting tolls on Interstate 80. I'm not in favor of it since there is 50 years of taxpayer investment in it.

There was a good quote about leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike though:

If a private company can make money from the turnpike, Ferguson Township Supervisor George Pytel added, then PennDOT "can get that same money without renting it."

This seems lost on some politicians right now.

Pennsylvania, Interstate 80

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:19 PM | |

More talk of tolls on I-80

PennDOT would profit from making I-80 toll road, turnpike officials say - Post-Gazette
Here's a shocker, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wants to install tolls on I-80; an idea that keeps coming up. Turnpike commisions always want to build or acquire more roads so they stay in business. They argue it is preferable to being bought or leased like other toll roads. They have a point there, but I think neither should happen. Roads like I-80 were largely paid by the federal gasoline tax. I think charging tolls on them would amount to double taxation. Also, do you really want the commission taking over more roads? They have been around for over 60 years and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is still substandard compared to its peers.

If it does happen though, it would be kind of funny to start calling Pennsylvania the tollbooth state though.

Labels: I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 12:56 PM | |

Letter to the Editor - Tolls on I-80 not such a bad solution for state - The Collegian

A Collegian reader makes the case for tolls on I-80 and it is none other than Jake Muha, an old friend. I am going to have to disagree with you on this one Jake and perhaps I will do so in the same forum.

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Jagla, Summers latest to bolt basketball team - CDT

Yet more defections from the men's basketball team, seemingly leaving them with half a dozen scholarship players. I still think coach Ed Dechellis will right the ship once he gets some more players.

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PSU trustees set for New York trip - CDT

There has been some criticism of holding trustees meetings outside of the commonwealth and those critics do have a point. However, since much of the funding for the university come from out of state, I think there is something to be said for showing what the funding is doing to those constituents as well. Two years ago, I visited a reception when the trustees met at L'nfant Plaza in D.C. and found it quite interesting. In the end, if the commonwealth wants these meetings to occur in Pennsylvania, perhaps they could fund the university better.

Labels: Family and Friends, I-80, Pennsylvania, Transportation

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posted by WFY @ 5:45 AM | |