http://tags.library.upenn.edu/tag/FHWA+tolls PennTags Feed http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/15565 http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/15565 Feds endorse highway toll system<br />By Mark Ginocchio<br />Staff Writer<br />Published March 21 2007<p>WESTPORT - Federal Highway Administration officials yesterday urged state lawmakers to install highway tolls that charge motorists different rates based on peak and off-peak hours.</p><p>The tolling method, called congestion or value pricing, helps reduce traffic during rush hour while providing the state with cash for transportation improvements, said Patrick DeCorla-Souza, program manager for the administration's congestion pricing initiative.</p><p>Other cities worldwide use the method successfully, and other transportation systems, such as airlines and railroads, already charge varying rates based on peak hours, DeCorla-Souza said at a meeting at Westport Police Department headquarters organized by the South Western Regional Planning Agency.</p><p>&quot;People understand that at certain times during the year, certain goods and services are more valuable,&quot; DeCorla-Souza said at the event, attended by about 30 municipal leaders and legislators from Fairfield County. &quot;The idea now is to help them understand it in the transportation arena.&quot;<br /></p><br />