Pa. must toll I-80 or face a transportation crisis

Peter Javsicas

is executive director of Pennsylvanians for Transportation Solutions

The Federal Highway Administration should approve the current proposal to toll Interstate 80, which would make drivers crossing Pennsylvania's northern tier pay at the same rate as those using the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Why toll I-80? Because driving in Pennsylvania is too cheap. Taxes and fees don't cover the real costs of roads and fuel, which are heavily subsidized. Take away the subsidies and many people would have to cut back on driving or give it up. Take away the subsidies, and the costs of goods and services delivered by trucks would increase dramatically.

Can we do nothing? No, that's expensive, too. Our roads and bridges are deteriorating. Transit facilities need upgrading. Energy demand is trending upward worldwide, outstripping supplies. Gasoline prices are rising. Traffic congestion is getting worse.

Cheap driving is just too expensive. The solution comes in two parts:

Start charging realistically for the use of highways.

Promote cheaper alternatives such as rail freight, public transportation, car sharing, transit-oriented development, walking, and biking.

New toll revenues won't end our transportation funding problems, but without those funds Pennsylvania cannot avoid a statewide transportation crisis. With no tolling of I-80, by July 2010 the state will see a drop of $466 million in funding for highways and transit. We will see further deterioration in what we have - plus more expensive repair and operating bills. Like the old Fram oil filter ads used to say, you can pay now, or you can pay later.

Will the I-80 tolls adversely affect adjoining businesses and communities? No. Look at the situation along the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In recent years many businesses, warehouses and trucking depots have chosen to locate there. Clearly tolls are too small a line-item to deter business and employment growth as well as housing development. Growth in tax ratables has funded new infrastructure and municipal services from Paoli to Pittsburgh. If any businesses do fail along a tolled I-80, perhaps they were unsustainable to begin with.

Will tolls cause businesses along I-80 to relocate? Where would they go? Farther from markets and suppliers? To more expensive locations? Or to another toll road?

Will residents along I-80 be unfairly made to pay? The toll plazas will be few and far between, so those who use I-80 for work, to commute, or to access retail and other services will see little change.

Will truckers abandon I-80 for secondary roads? Truckers know that the extra costs in time, fuel, and wear and tear would outweigh the tolls.

Tolling I-80, an existing interstate, would help secure the principle that freeways are not free. While the federal cost to build the interstates was absorbed long ago, they continue to incur tremendous direct and indirect costs to the states and taxpayers.

Transportation sustains our economy. By paying a fair price, businesses and communities can not only sustain what we have but also invest in more economical, more sustainable alternatives for mobility and access. If we want to invest in reducing the cost of moving people and goods, tolling I-80 is a crucial first step.