Embrace the tolls
Published November 27, 2015
by Patrick Gannon, The Insider, published in The Greenville Daily Reflector, November 26, 2015.
I know it has four letters, but I’ve still never understood why “toll” is such a bad word in North Carolina.
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I vividly remember being woken up routinely on trips to the beach by rumble strips ahead of toll booths on the Ohio Turnpike, the West Virginia Turnpike, the New York State Thruway and other highways. In those states and many others, tolls were a normal part of life decades ago and still are today.
This Thanksgiving, when I travel to Ohio to visit relatives, I’ll pay $12 round-trip to drive on Interstate 77 through West Virginia, a road that, in my opinion, is well-maintained. My biggest concern isn’t about forking over the cash, but remembering to have dollar bills in my wallet as I drive through the Mountain State.
Which brings me back to North Carolina, where the fight over toll roads is seemingly more fierce and politically charged than ever. State legislators fight over toll roads just about every legislative session. The debate has been raging for decades, and every day, the state loses transportation revenue from travelers passing through.
It’s well-documented that the state will need tens of billions of dollars over the next couple decades simply to maintain its roads, and well over $100 billion to improve performance and capacity. And with gas tax revenues not keeping pace, the state must find new ways to pay for transportation needs.
A 2012 Department of Transportation study showed tolling all North Carolina’s interstate highways beginning in 2020 would generate an estimated $42 billion in 2011 dollars between 2020 and 2040, which would make a big dent in revenue needs. The General Assembly made a positive step this year when it eliminated transfers out of of highway funds.
I think toll road opponents are missing the big picture. By not charging out-of-state motorists to drive on our roads, the state is missing out on dollars that ultimately will have to be made up by in-state residents through other transportation revenue sources under consideration. Those options include auto insurance surcharges, increased DMV fees, local vehicle property taxes and vehicle-miles-traveled fees, all of which would hit North Carolina drivers squarely in their pocketbooks.
And during a week when untold thousands of out-of-state travelers will drive on North Carolina’s major highways, the state is missing out on gobs of cash for roads. At the same time, other states will cash in on North Carolinians. This reminds me of arguments often made in favor of economic incentives offered by states. If other states offer the perks, politicians and others often say, North Carolina must have them to compete for jobs.
Are toll roads much different? We often hear how good road networks often help companies make decisions on where to locate. Will we lose out on economic development opportunities if our state doesn’t keep up with road demands?
Imagine all of the cash that could be collected by snowbirds traveling south on Interstate 95 on their way to and from Florida for the winter.
I’m sure toll opponents will hope I move back up North after writing this column.
And if I do, I’ll be sure to leave my $6 in West Virginia.
That state needs it, too.
Patrick Gannon writes about North Carolina government and politics for the Capitol Press Association.
http://www.reflector.com/opinion/other-voices/gannon-embrace-tolls-3052377
November 27, 2015 at 8:52 am
Dale Gillmore says:
I think you are missing a key fact. The toll money doesn't get collected to benefit road maintenance or the state. It benefits a private company:(
November 27, 2015 at 10:09 am
Nils Lucander says:
If we are going to have an intelligent discussion on this issue, its imperative that everyone have a basic understanding of the issues involved. Its apparent that Patrick Gannon does not have such basic understanding, so, please take a moment to read the following as a start.
Toll lanes limit the number of vehicles wanting to access them.
Tolls will be prohibitively expensive for the majority of potential users.
Finally, because the high tolls and because most people cannot afford them, the toll lanes act as discriminatory dividers between citizens. The wealthy can pay for the option to escape congestion and drive on open free flowing lanes, while others are trapped in congestion with no hope...even though their fuel taxes paid for much of the toll lanes to begin with.
I hope this helps Patrick to realize he should retract his premature and baseless comments.
November 27, 2015 at 10:10 am
Jodi Archer says:
Here we go AGAIN ! Another uninformed writer totally manipulating the truth of what The REAL OPPOSITION is to the proposed I-77 managed HOT LANES. This is NOT A toll road !!!! The P3 contract for this project made with a Spanish company currently involved in corruption has shacked our region with restrictions that prevent our towns from having decent infrastructure for 50 years !!!! This concept keeps the interstate property WE THE CITIZENS OWN OUTRIGHT in their posession in order to force congestion on our little 2 lane current goat road of a highway. They force congestion so They ( Spain) is ensured a profit. Correction ... They pilfer a profit and it goes to Spain NOT for future highway maintainence. While they pilfer our regional economy and our quality of life suffers. We are LIMITED by geography in alternate routes. Please get the facts before you write this kind of comparative narrative. It's SO MISLEADING.
November 27, 2015 at 10:14 am
Phil Lehigh says:
1. According to the WV Parkways Authority I-77 in WV is 88 miles and a year pass for all toll plazas is $285. I-77 will add toll lanes to a 25 mile stretch and the projected cost to a commuter at rush hour(s) is about $5000/year. 2. Toll fees go to a Spanish company, not the state of NC. 3. The asphalt will not be laid to normal standards, so trucks can NEVER use the toll lanes. 4. It's actually costing the state as much or more in upfront costs than it would have been to just build General Purpose lanes. So you might be wondering how this benefits the people of NC. Yep, so are the people in North Mecklenburg county.
November 27, 2015 at 10:46 am
Cindy Kincaid says:
The I-77 toll lane is NO ordinary toll lane. You need to be educated. There are lots of places you can go to on Facebook and the web to get educated. I-77 Business Plan is one. WidenI-77.org is another one. This toll road is being built by a corrupt Spanish company with none of the revenue coming back to NC. They typically file for bankruptcy leaving the state with even more for the taxpayers to pay. Plus there is a 50-year clause in the contract that is bad for everyone in this area of NC. Please do your research and then re-write your article. Thank you.
November 28, 2015 at 7:00 am
Bill Clegg says:
And therein lies the problem, Patrick. At face value, the concept of tolling "out of staters" to pay for our roads sounds appealing, and that's what our ill-informed local and state leaders accepted. In reality, the details of the contract for I-77 tolls reflect a true debacle. Among them - a prohibition against building or enhancing any parallel roadways that might siphon paying travelers from I-77 for 50 YEARS. A high penalty/cost to the state if we decide to construct additional lanes within that 50 year timeframe. An admission by the DOT that the average speed of I-77 from Mooresville to Charlotte may increase a paltry ONE MPH (and remain in the mid 20s range) once the toll lane is constructed. Toll amounts that are 3 - 5 times the cost of even the NY state thruway or the Pennsylvania Turnpike, resulting in a daily cost of more than $20 for a roundtrip commute from Mooresville to Charlotte, or $400 per MONTH. And finally, "gotcha" tactics similar to the Norfolk, Virginia, bridge / tunnel project where unsuspecting drivers who cross into toll lanes even to pass another car are then charged exorbitant tolls and penalties, receiving a bill in the mail weeks later.
I support tolls when they are publicly vetted, reasonably assessed, and literally don't hand over the keys to a highway to a third party for a 50 YEAR term. This contractor, Cintra, has failed in several other similar projects across the US, resulting in fines, penalties, and incremental public funding that has done nothing but line Cintra's pockets. I'm concerned that like you, others across the state simply see our opposition to this project as one centered on having to pay tolls when in reality, the issues run much, much deeper. Armed with the facts, I'm sure that no reasonable NC resident and taxpayer would support any future 3P projects designed like this one.
Will you pen a follow-up to your original piece, based on facts?
Thank you!
November 28, 2015 at 6:55 pm
Bennie Lee says:
I pushed for a toll on 95 years ago. Who stopped the movement was Ms Elmers and Mr. Jerry Tilman my state rep.
I saw no more than I was on it, maybe one out of ten cars had NC tags, no more than I used it.
With our gas prices beside SC or Va I was sure NC didn't sale a candy bar.
November 30, 2015 at 11:33 am
Pattie Marshall says:
Would you please do a retraction of your article.... Jeesh...the I77 Toll project is for 50 years and all money, estimated at $13 BILLION WILL GO TO SPAIN. This does NOTHING for NC roads. HELLO....this is NOT a NCDOT project....they gave all rights to the remaining right of way to CINTRA OF SPAIN.....why....because CINTRA is a member of ALEC and contributed heavily to all the right folks election campaigns....
This is NOT your parents toll roads...please reiew the following:
https://www.charlotteagenda.com/12520/10-things-you-dont-know-about-the-toll-lanes-planned-for-i-77-north/
This is an easy read and will get you and your readers educated.
December 1, 2015 at 9:43 am
Paul Brumley says:
The propaganda by Patrick Gannon on tolls (also known as highway robbery) is typical of those who have never seen a tax or fee that they didn't like and is offensive to me and any free American.
