Can tolls on I-85 be next?
May 13, 2010

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced Monday he's seeking Federal permission to put a toll on I-95 near the North Carolina border. During the campaign he indicated he wanted to do the same for I-85.  He says the goal is to " ...capture revenue to offset the additional burdens placed on Virginia’s roadways by out-of-state tractor trailers and personal vehicles."

Speaking with reporters in December, after the election, he indicated his plan for I-85 might be a bit more complicated than the I-95 tolls. Federal law says tolls on a given interstate have to be spent on that specific road.

McDonnell says he wants to make Route 460 between Petersburg and Hampton Roads and extension of I-85. That way, he says, a toll booth on I-85 below South Hill could be used to raise money for improvements to the Petersburg-to-Tidewater roadway.

The Department of Transportation has already requested bids for a Route 460 improvement project. That would appear to be a first step toward the I-85 designation. VDOT says improvements to Route 460 are critical to improve emergency and military preparedness and will reduce truck traffic on the interstates. McDonnell also says the road is critical to an evacuation of Hampton Roads in case of a major hurricane.

What are the specifics for the I-95 road and presumably for I-85? The McDonnell proposal suggests a toll of $1 to $2 per axel ($2-$4 for a passenger car with more for trucks). During the campaign, McDonnell indicated both the I-85 and I-95 toll booths would be located only on the northbound lanes, that "private-public partnerships" would be used to accomplish the projects and that technology like electronic tolling would be used to maintain "high speeds" on the interstates.  

Tolls on the interstates have critics. Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Emporia, is opposed to the proposed tolling on Interstate 95. He says merchants in his area will suffer and traffic will find its way onto other roads in order to avoid the tolls. Many of those roads, he says, are not prepared to handle the increased traffic.  And Adams believes most of the revenue generated will go to the more populated areas of Northern Virginia and Tidewater.