Editor’s Note: ATFI is one of our partners and it releases a quarterly newsletter, which we promote by posting it here.

With people returning to work and with travelling back in full swing, the need for improved infrastructure in the United States has remained a top priority for politicians and citizens alike. Officials from Pennsylvania to Louisiana have mentioned tolling as a way of funding infrastructure improvements. Despite overwhelming and outspoken opposition from a wide variety of stakeholders, some of these tolling projects are still moving ahead. Additionally, gas prices have been soaring, mainly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global reaction to it. Here in the U.S., a few states (Maryland and Georgia) are even moving quickly to suspend their gas taxes temporarily, and others may follow suit shortly.

The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (ATFI) will continue to engage on these issues, alerting policymakers and members of the public to the unfair and inefficient practice of implementing tolls on existing interstates. Expanding tolling networks on existing interstates means levying another tax on drivers who already pay taxes for interstate maintenance, diverting potential customers away from small businesses located near the tolled interstate, burdening non-tolled routes with additional traffic, and placing disproportionate levels of financial strain on low-income individuals. ATFI is dedicated to ensuring that America’s interstates operate as they were intended: without tolls.

STATE UPDATE

• Alabama – A plan to use tolls to rebuild the I-10 Mobile River Bridge Bayway continues to progress. In December, local officials announced a new plan involving tolls on the Bayway. The proposal would involve charging passenger vehicles no more than $2.50 to cross the bridge, and tolls would be removed once the state’s debt had been paid (in an estimated 30 years’ time). Those in support of the plan point out that passengers will still be able to cross Mobile Bay at other places for free, but recent polls have shown that Alabamans aren’t taking a liking to the tolling plan. According to polls conducted in the Mobile area, 68% of residents do not want tolls on the Bayway. Grassroots opposition to the proposal has gained traction as well. Among the most vocal opponents of the tolling plan are those working in the trucking industry, as trucking companies in the area would be forced to incur rising transportation costs. Unfortunately, Alabama’s Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has signaled its intent to go ahead with the tolling proposal.

• Pennsylvania – ATFI’s fight to halt PennDOT’s Major Bridge P3 Initiative is still in full swing. After PennDOT announced the locations of the nine bridges it planned to toll as part of the P3 Initiative, ATFI got involved in the public comment process. In addition to testifying at hearings, we submitted letters of opposition to seven “Virtual Public Open Houses” hosted by PennDOT. These Open Houses outlined PennDOT’s reasoning for pursuing tolling as well as its timeline to implement tolls on each bridge. We are closely monitoring the webpages of the two bridges whose Open Houses have not yet taken place and will submit comments once they open. Fortunately, Pennsylvanians are just as disappointed with PennDOT’s plan as we are. Grassroots and other local-level opposition to tolling has sprouted up across the Keystone State as residents worry about the potentially detrimental effect the tolls could have on their businesses, infrastructure, and livelihoods. Some locales have even filed a lawsuit against PennDOT in response to the tolling plan. Additionally, lawmakers have taken notice of PennDOT’s inefficient tolling scheme and are seeking to prevent it from advancing by introducing Senate Bill 382. This piece of legislation, currently residing in the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, would halt the current Major Bridge Initiative and call for more transparency regarding similar projects in the future. In the face of opposition from policymakers and everyday Pennsylvanians, however, PennDOT continues to move forward with its tolling plan. News outlets in the state are reporting that PennDOT expects the nine interstate bridges to be prepped for tolling by August of 2022.

• Louisiana – ATFI is monitoring a developing situation in Louisiana regarding the use of tolls to rebuild Interstate 10’s Calcasieu River Bridge in Lake Charles. President Joe Biden mentioned the bridge during his visit to the state, citing it as an example of one of many pieces of infrastructure that desperately needs repair. With stakeholders maintaining that Gov. John Bel Edward’s budget does not provide ample funds for the bridge’s reconstruction, some have suggested tolling as a potential funding mechanism. With the 2022 Regular Legislative Session convening on March 14, this is the perfect time to combat tolling. The Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) recently commissioned an independent survey to gauge opinions on the toll in Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis areas. The results of that survey found that 49% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for candidates who support the Calcasieu bridge toll. ATFI continues to engage with points of contact on the ground and is searching for avenues of potential action in the near future.

• Kentucky/Ohio– In a win for opponents of tolling, leaders on either side of the Ohio-Kentucky border sought to abandon tolls as a means of funding a new bridge across the Ohio River, updates to the existing Brent Spence Bridge, and other improvements on the interstate network in the area. Instead, the governors of Ohio and Kentucky, Mike DeWine and Andy Beshear, plan to work together to secure federal funding from the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

FEDERAL UPDATE

• The U.S. Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill) in November 2021. The $1.2 trillion bill calls for $110 billion to be dedicated to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects; $40 billion has been earmarked specifically for bridges. ATFI submitted public comment to President Biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in May of 2021, detailing all of the reasons why using federal funds to promote tolling would be an inefficient means of improving American infrastructure and a potentially detrimental burden for American families and businesses. While tolling has not been mentioned by the Biden administration explicitly, it has not been rejected outright either. ATFI will continue to monitor the administration’s stance on the issue and seek out every opportunity to inform Mr. Biden and his team about the many downsides of tolling existing interstates.

• ATFI is an expanding alliance of individuals, businesses and organizations advocating for long-term, sustainable, efficient, equitable, and sensible highway infrastructure funding solutions. To find out more about us, please visit tollfreeinterstates.com. If you oppose tolling existing interstates, you can sign our petition on the website’s home page. In addition, Facebook and Twitter are important resources for building a community of supporters and sustaining conversations about tolls. If you are an individual who is concerned about tolling, we want to stay connected with you on Facebook at Facebook.com/TollFreeInterstates and on Twitter at @No2Tolls.

ATFI continues to be the voice of the anti-tolling movement at the national and state level. As these efforts move ahead, please join us in saying No to Tolls! We must keep highways open! 

After you sign the national petition, be sure to spread the word by sharing this with your friends, family and colleagues to do the same!