We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » DOT kills Pennsylvania toll plan
newsworthy

DOT kills Pennsylvania toll plan

April 7, 2010
Mark B. Solomon
No Comments

The U.S. Department of Transportation today rejected Pennsylvania's bid to impose tolls on vehicles traveling on the portion of Interstate 80 connecting the state from east to west, effectively killing the state's revenue-raising plan.

The DOT action marks the third time federal regulators have rejected the proposal, which would have made Pennsylvania the first state to convert an entire existing interstate highway to a toll road. The prior two attempts had come under previous presidential administrations. The commonwealth's lawmakers gave it a third try in hopes that a new administration might rule differently.

After today's decision, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said the state's tolling attempts were "over," according to NATSO, a trade group representing truck stops and travel plazas. NATSO opposed the tolling measure, arguing that motor fuel taxes remain the most equitable source of funding for the nation's interstate system.

Under the state's proposal, truckers would have been charged $100 to travel the interstate in Pennsylvania. Motorists would have been charged $25 for the same privilege.

Jim Runk, president of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, told the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader that many members were concerned the proposed tolls would put truckers out of business or force them to leave the state. Runk told the paper that other states should get the message that "it's probably not good public policy to toll an existing highway that's part of our interstate system."

The DOT decision is a setback for those seeking alternate sources of revenue to pay for repairs and improvements to the interstate system. Fuel taxes, which haven't been raised at the federal level since 1993, will become a less-viable revenue source as vehicles become increasingly fuel-efficient, according to backers of alternate revenue mechanisms.

In a statement, Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders said the DOT decision "truly cripples the commonwealth's ability to repair and maintain Pennsylvania's roads and bridges—to say nothing of the negative impact the decision has on future road construction and mass transit systems statewide without an alternative source of funding."

This is not the first time a state has attempted to levy tolls on travel across the interstate system. DOT in 2003 approved Virginia's bid to implement truck-only toll lanes on parts of Interstate 81 running through the state. However, opposition to the plan eventually killed the proposal in the state. In 2005, DOT approved Missouri's plan for truck-only toll lanes on Interstate 70. It appears that project will move forward, even though it remains at this time in the "environmental review" phase.

According to NATSO, Wyoming is also exploring toll lanes on the section of I-80 running through the state.

Transportation Trucking Regulation/Government
KEYWORDS U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Related Articles

    Pennsylvania highway crash kills two UPS drivers

    Rhode Island's truck-only toll plan takes effect, truck groups vow war

    Pennsylvania to spend $64 billion in 12-year transport improvement plan

Marksolomon
Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Recent Articles by Mark Solomon

Coming together for road safety: interview with Joshua Girard

Off the rails

Freight rate spikes shaking up the C-suite

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Schneider welcomes first battery-electric truck

  • Fred Smith is not worried about Amazon

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • RJW LOGISTICS GROUP EXPANDS RETAIL LOGISTICS OPERATION TO DALLAS

Now Playing on DCV-TV

D991bf51 52ad 4867 98ff b56f4fe5dd93

State of the Industry: Fluctuations & Normalcy

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
In this second of a four-part State of the Industry video series, Greg Orr shares insights on the shifting fortunes of a cyclical truckload market and what passes for normalcy in this economy. The truckload market is famous for its boom-and-bust cycles. A downturn in the economy sends the market reeling with too...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing