3/3/04-State transportation officials are considering whether to start charging tolls on Interstate 80 in the state as a way to raise revenue.
PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler told the House Appropriations Committee March 1 there could be a series of about 10 tollbooths spread about 30 miles apart. He said a feasibility study could be finished by summer.
“We are looking at the costs and potential benefits” of adding tollbooths, he told the committee. “Does the volume of traffic make sense to do this? What is the impact on the traveling public? What does it mean to the trucking industry?”
It’s too early to say how much the tolls would be, he said. PennDOT would need permission from the federal government to charge tolls on I-80 because the road was built with federal funds.
Imposing tolls is one option for raising additional funds to pay for road work and, possibly, adding a lane in each direction. The agency also is considering whether to increase the state’s fuel tax.