War of Words Erupts over Trump Call to Allow Interstate Tolls
A 39-word statement in a just-released 6-page “fact sheet” on President Trump’s “infrastructure initiative” within his overall budget proposal has brought the toll vs. no-toll contenders out swinging.
The bullet item calls for reducing the restriction on tolling of Interstate highways so as to “allow the States to assess their transportation needs and weigh the relative merits of tolling assets.”
In the next sentence, the administration said that it also “supports allowing the private sector to construct, operate, and maintain interstate rest areas, which are often overburden and inadequately maintained.”
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association was quick to praise the Trump Administration for seeking to draw down the restriction against Interstate tolling that dates back over 60 years.
“Today, the Trump Administration became the second straight White House to call for easing the ban on Interstate tolling and giving states the maximum flexibility needed to make the best funding decisions for their local transportation projects,” said Patrick Jones, IBTTA executive director and CEO.
Jones said IBTTA wants “Congress to immediately join with the President to reduce burdensome regulations that prevent state and local governments from utilizing all available funding mechanisms. Toll financing may not be the answer for every highway, bridge, or tunnel project in the country, but the power of tolling is proven and effective.
“Combined with the President’s proposed investment in infrastructure, tolling can provide valuable resources to the states to tackle transportation infrastructure projects,” he added.
Not buying the administration’s proposal was the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates. “We are very concerned about how heavily the Trump Administration wants to rely upon public-private partnerships to fund our roads and the idea of loosening the federal restriction on tolling interstate highways,” said ATFI Spokesperson Stephanie Kane. “As outlined in the proposed budget, leveraging $200 billion public dollars into a $1 trillion transportation plan …Read the rest of this story
