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I-80 toll plans moving forward
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will take over operation of I-80 and turn the freeway into a toll road under terms of a 50-year lease signed late Monday.The lease with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was signed just before a midnight deadline set by the legislature. Tolls could be in place by 2010 if permission is obtained from the Federal Highway Administration.
The state's two highway agencies made formal application for that approval on Saturday. In the application, the turnpike agency said it planned to double the money available for I-80 repairs and upgrades over the next decade to $2 billion.
The state's plan envisions as many as 10 toll booths between New Jersey and Ohio, with an initial cost of about $25 for motorists to drive the entire 311-mile highway.
The I-80 tolls would be set at the turnpike's rate, which is anticipated to be about 8 cents per mile in three years, for cars. That would represent a 33 percent increase from the current turnpike toll rate, which now averages about 6 cents per mile. (Tolls would be 23 cents per mile for trucks weighing 30,001 to 45,000 pounds.)
Tolls on I-80 are part of a plan created last July by the legislature to raise about $965 million more per year over the next 10 years for highways, bridges and mass transit. The new law, Act 44, has been under fire from northern Pennsylvanians along the I-80 corridor who fear it will hurt the economy of the region.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/327710_traffic16.html
I-5 closure shows we're adaptable
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Last updated 8:38 a.m. PT
By CARY MOON AND KAMALA RAO
GUEST COLUMNISTS
Whether you're surprised or not, the unfolding story of I-5 construction is remarkable.
The highway is usually so congested at rush hour we've come to think of its traffic as absolute, as a necessity of life. When repairs meant partial closure, hearts sank. But the Washington State Department of Transportation planned ahead and got the word out. It threatened nightmarish delays; it urged working from home and avoiding rush hour. It offered a discount on van pools, mapped alternative routes and reminded us of all the transit options.
A few days in, and so far so good: About half the 120,000 daily drivers have found other ways to get around. Hats off to the media for educating us on options, and thanks to all the conscientious travelers for doing their part.
But doesn't it blow your mind to see, in real time, how profoundly adaptable people are? Turns out we're not like dairy cows heading home to the barn. We survey the options and make choices: We can take transit, go early, go late, stay local, shop local, walk, bike, share rides. And the city and region keep right on working.
Our collective "need" for highway capacity is about as certain as our "need" for bottled water.
I-5 is mostly flowing smoothly on reduced lanes. Surface streets aren't clogged. Traffic on the Alaskan Way Viaduct is fine. Transit is full, but not overwhelmed -- without any increased Metro bus service. Freight is moving. Funny, the only place where there seems to be a problem is on I-405, where people don't have as many real alternatives.