PA - DVRC Official Says More Toll Roads Needed

[PAHighways]

It seems toll road fever is more contagious than H1N1.  Barry Seymour, executive director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, has been tossing out ideas on what other roads that should be tolled besides I-80 and US 422, more than a PEZ dispenser spitting out pieces of candy.

Planning Official Wants Pennsylvania to Consider Tolls on Many Roads

[vdeane]

Better idea - why not just toll every single interstate in the PA and put them under their own agency?  That way they don't have to worry about federal requirements, nobody is singled out, and PA can still spend the money they would have used for the roads on pork projects.

[froggie]

Because, under current Federal law (which may or may not change if Oberster manages to push his transportation reauthorization bill through), the pilot program only allows three currently-free Interstates to have tolls put on them, and no more than one in a single state.  So if FHWA eventually allows PennDOT to toll I-80, that's it unless and until Federal law is changed.

[City]

Pennsylvania would probably be remarked as Tollsylvania if they converted that many of the currently-free interstates into toll roads. And if a Penna Turnpike type-system was used on the highways, it'd be economically and financially mass havoc (bigger interchanges with toll plazas would be used).

[SSOWorld]

The ticket and toll system used on the turnpike (along with Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, etc.) is outdated.  I doubt they'd install such a thing anymore.  Instead using cash tolls with E-ZPass lanes or fully automatic collection (thru E-ZPass and/or plate recognition)

[mightyace]

Sounds like a few newspapers have picked up on minor politicians remarks and blown them out of proportion.

I doubt that this guy has the power to put a toll on his driveway!

<edit>
I had other things to say, but I'd just be repeating some things I said before and since this guy is a yo-yo, I don't need to answer his dribble with a serious reply!

[vdeane]

The ticket and toll system used on the turnpike (along with Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, etc.) is outdated.  I doubt they'd install such a thing anymore.  Instead using cash tolls with E-ZPass lanes or fully automatic collection (thru E-ZPass and/or plate recognition)

Every proposal I've seen is all-electronic tolling.  So no e-zpass = huge fee for processing and mailing your bill.

[PAHighways]

Better idea - why not just toll every single interstate in the PA and put them under their own agency?

The PTC tried that already, but were thwarted by Eisenhower.

[Dougtone]

The ticket and toll system used on the turnpike (along with Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, etc.) is outdated.  I doubt they'd install such a thing anymore.  Instead using cash tolls with E-ZPass lanes or fully automatic collection (thru E-ZPass and/or plate recognition)

Every proposal I've seen is all-electronic tolling.  So no e-zpass = huge fee for processing and mailing your bill.

Since the technology is present for all-electronic tolling, my understanding is the push for all-electronic tolling is meant for streamlining costs.  This would mean less construction, no toll takers, etc.  But there would still be such administrative costs, since people would be needed to maintain the system, more accountants needed to audit the all-electronic tolling receipts, etc.

[Stephane Dumas]

From the article, it also mentions the possibility of having ETL (express toll lanes) like I-95 in Maryland. Maybe US-422 could be a candidate for a ETL system

[Roadgeek Adam]

Oh, so instead of tolling main roads, why can't we go to back to tolling bridges on the Delaware? I mean, we have 30 of them that could generate funds, yet we toll so few of them. Yes tolls are a bummer, but if we follow what we do for the Dingmans Ferry, Milford-Montague and Portland-Columbia. If we went to the trouble of having a small tollbooth with a man working it on these smaller bridges, we might make some cash for them.

[Chris]

And Philadelphia already has one of the worst expressway networks in the nation. So many unbuilt roads and downscaled projects between 1977 (killing of the proposed expressways) and the 1990's (last expressways to open in the area) causing much more pressure on the infrastructure than they were designed for.

However, I doubt if tolls are the answer. It would only encourage people to use the residential city streets.

[Alps]

And Philadelphia already has one of the worst expressway networks in the nation. So many unbuilt roads and downscaled projects between 1977 (killing of the proposed expressways) and the 1990's (last expressways to open in the area) causing much more pressure on the infrastructure than they were designed for.

I'd like to take that in another direction.  You could easily connect Roosevelt Expwy. to the US 1 freeway north of Philly within the existing right of way - keep the outer roads as frontages and run the freeway down the middle of the Blvd.  Now, there's no money to build it - so why not toll it?  Expand Philly's freeway network via the tolling vehicle as best you can, and try to get that many more people away from the Schuylkill.

[Revive 755]

The only interstates I would really agree with being tolled in Pennsylvania are I-70 between I-79 and the Turnpike (if tolls are used to upgraded this sad excuse for a rural interstate) and I-81 between the Maryland state line and PA 581 (if the tolls fund adding a extra through lane each way).  There might be a few more that tolls would be great to fund much needed improvements sooner that I haven't seen, but overall, given how well the Turnpike seems to be run, I think converting the existing free roads to tollways is a bad idea.

[njroadhorse]

And Philadelphia already has one of the worst expressway networks in the nation. So many unbuilt roads and downscaled projects between 1977 (killing of the proposed expressways) and the 1990's (last expressways to open in the area) causing much more pressure on the infrastructure than they were designed for.

I'd like to take that in another direction.  You could easily connect Roosevelt Expwy. to the US 1 freeway north of Philly within the existing right of way - keep the outer roads as frontages and run the freeway down the middle of the Blvd.  Now, there's no money to build it - so why not toll it?  Expand Philly's freeway network via the tolling vehicle as best you can, and try to get that many more people away from the Schuylkill.

That idea works really well, you could even extend the freeway leading to the Betsy Ross Bridge to the Roosevelt in this manner, except you'd be tinkering with the tolls around the bridge.

[Roadgeek Adam]

it was supposed to, as PA 90, just never happened

[Stephane Dumas]

For more toll roads in PA, how about letting it to regional agencies like Florida and Texas?

[mightyace]

For more toll roads in PA, how about letting it to regional agencies like Florida and Texas?

Sounds like a good idea.  Since I-80 and a few other proposals are designed to aid transit in Philly and Pittsburgh.  Why not have SEPTA and Port Authority of Allegheny County run the toll roads in their respective regions?

In such a case, the money could stay within the agency for funding mass transit projects as well.

[Roadgeek Adam]

SEPTA is better for their trains. Except they don't have bathrooms