In 2006, ATA and the Virginia Trucking Association defeated a proposal to build tolled truck lanes on I-81 in VA. Trucks would have been barred from using the existing toll-free lanes. Many other states are considering Interstate tolls. ATA has developed a manual designed to assist state trucking associations who are engaged in toll battles. In September 2007, the Federal Highway Administration announced its first Corridors of the Future. These Corridors are expected to be prime tolling candidates.
In April 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan to impose congestion pricing tolls on vehicles entering and driving within Manhattan below 86th Street during daytime hours. The proposal was rejected by the state legislature in April 2008.
The Manhattan project was one of six selected under US DOT’s Urban Partnership Agreement program, which is designed to encourage cities to utilize congestion pricing to relieve congestion. Other cities selected under this program include Miami, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Seattle. Additional information is available at this site: http://www.upa.dot.gov/
In July 2007, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation directing the state Department of Transportation to toll I-80 and monetize the Turnpike (see below) in order to finance road and transit improvements. The U.S. Department of Transportation rejected the State’s application to toll I-80 on the basis that it did not meet federal requirements. However, the State has not yet ruled out submitting another application. ATA and the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association are leading an aggressive campaign against tolling the highway.
ATA is leading the fight on Capitol Hill to prohibit states from tolling existing Interstates. While we prevented efforts to give states expanded authority to toll existing Interstates during consideration of the last highway bill, we anticipate that our opponents will continue to press for more tolling flexibility. The U.S. Department of Transportation has made pricing and private financing of highways a cornerstone of its congestion relief plan. ATA is working with key people within the DOT and on Capitol Hill to explain the negative impacts of such an approach on the trucking industry.