Motorists who have been driving for free along Interstate 95 in southern Virginia may soon have to start paying for the privilege. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Monday that the Federal Highway Administration gave preliminary approval to impose tolls on I-95, one of the East Coast’s busiest highways, from the Virginia-North Carolina border to Fredericksburg.
The amount of the toll and the number and location of tollbooths “is up in the air,” McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell said. But the Department of Transportation estimates that the fees could generate $250 million in the first five years and more than $50 million in the following years. That’s based on assumptions that there would be toll booths north and south of Richmond and a $1-per-axle toll, department spokesman Joe Vagi said.
“This approval is a major step toward funding critical capacity and infrastructure improvements needed in this corridor,” McDonnell said. “The commonwealth cannot continue to be a leader in economic development and job creation if we do not address our transportation needs.”
Federal highway authorities approved placing tolls on Interstate 81 in 2003 under the Interstate Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program, but that plan stalled. State Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton lobbied Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez in April 2010 to shift the tolls to I-95, a more heavily traveled highway that runs the length of the East Coast.
Mendez gave the OK to VDOT last Wednesday, provided the state outlines where the tolls will be collected and any short-term projects toll revenue will fund. There is no timetable to complete that study or start construction on new toll facilities.
Initial expenses will fall on the federal government, Caldwell said, and any state costs will be paid by toll revenue. The toll money will pay to widen I-95, install over-height detectors on bridges and guardrails on shoulders, and improve the roadway itself.
Because the toll will essentially raise money from I-95 users to pay for I-95 improvements — including out-of-state travelers — there’s no concern people will view this as an unnecessary tax, Caldwell said.
“It’s a major step forward for us in developing new funding mechanisms for I-95,” he said.
