I-80

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is reviving its application to impose tolls on Interstate 80. [Read Story]

Should I-80 be a toll road? Tell us what you think.

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PaDOT's own study in 2005 stated that the tolling of I-80 should not be done.  This proposal will hurt the local economies in the northern tier counties, and overburden local municipalites with traffic that will detour to avoid the scattered toll booths.  It would take millions of dollars and years to build the toll booths.  PA would not realize any money for decades from this proposal.  This is not the solution to current funding shortfalls.  This proposal must not move forward.

 Let's see...

• I pay about 50 cents/ gallon tax on gasoline
• Federal Excise Tax on tires
• probably several taxes, fees and costs I don't know about (such as the additional costs added to goods due to the increases in transportation costs). 

NO and stop with all these dam taxes & fees already.  I've had it -- keep your hands off my wallet.  I am not your slave.

 Absolutely not!  Tolling I-80 will not solve the crisis that the Turnpike Commission and Penn DOT have created.  The only result of tolling I-80 is to ruin the way of life of hundreds of thousands of people living along the corridor.  These residents also pay taxes on everything  and there are few viable roads to use.  This is just another money grab by Harrisburg.  Furthermore, anything ran by the Turnpike Commission or Penn DOT is corrupt and will be looking for more money down the "road" anyway.  The turnpike commission should be dismantled and Penn DOT needs strict oversight. 

 I-80 should stay a free public road since everyones tax money was used to build it. Politicians steeling public property to raise cash to cover their mismanagement and nepotism is unacceptable to all Pa. citizens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a former Pittsburgher living now along the I-80 corridor. Over the past twenty five years my family has driven that road a half dozen times a year. So in addition to the traffic disruptions that would be caused on local roads not designed to carry heavy traffic and the selected unfairness this "tax"would create, I can't help but picture the thirty to forty existing exits that would be affected. Which exits does the state keep open? Which ones do they close? Having driven the I-80 road so often now, I will tell you that the biggest effect will be on the dozens of local businesses affected by closing an exit where such businesses are located. Many of the existing exits have been built up significantly in the last twenty years.So are Fast EDDie and our legislators willing to knock on people's doors along that corridorand tell them that the exit the state is closing will result in their job closing up shop? NO to tolling

 Absolutely. I live along I-80 and looking at the proposal, few local folks would pay any tolls.

Also every truck with a delivery from Boston to Philadelphia uses I-80 because there are no tolls and the lax law enforcement. Listening to the CB's as the semi's cross the Ohio line and scream to  "put the Hammer down" is sufficient to frighten anyone with any sense. Garbage from the major coastal cities is being dumped in our local landfills because it's so cheap to use the highway necessitating more and more dumps to open in our communities only to be filled to capacity in less than half the time allotted.

I-80 is by far the most dangerous highway I have ever used because of the speed and recklessness of the eighteen wheelers. I lived in Alaska and drove up and back. I've lived in Eugene, Oregon, Summit County, Colorado, Orlando and Tampa Florida, Blairsville, New Jersey and other locations and no road even compares with the danger of I-80. Hopefully tolling the highway will reduce some of the terrible traffic and mostly eliminate the New York and New Jersey garbage trucks who regularly fail the state police safety checks.

Barring a proposal for a federal and state vehicle mileage tax, go ahead and toll I-80.

At an excess of a billion dollars, annually, to maintain our state roads and bridges, every option will hurt someone, somewhere.  I would prefer the state closing roads and bridges, over costly rehabilitations.  It's borrowed money either way, and demolition is a small fraction of total rehab costs. 

Even with the money borrowed from the Turnpike (Act 44) and recent the federal stimulus dollars the state cannot keep up with maintaining and/or rehabilitating it's aging roads and bridges.  So we either raise the necessary funds to maintain what we have and stop increasing lane miles, or reduce the burden by way of closures and demolitions.

Who would really miss the West End Bridge, and all of the other land bridges which lead vehicles to and from the main span?  Or the McKees Rocks Bridge?  Where are all of the fiscal conservatives bemoaning the "upgrades" to Route 28 - it's a drag strip outside the morning and evening rush?

The southern part of the state has had tolled highways ever since the Turnpike was built and we've survived.  Toll I-80, but give local residents a version of the EZ-Pass that exempts them from tolls on short trips on the highway.  This way, the burden falls on through traffic.  I think the Turnpike should do this, too, FWIW.

As for residents of the northern tier counties complaining that they are now going to have to pay for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, give me a break.  The Pittsburgh and Philly metro areas contribute the lion's share of state taxes.  My Pittsburgh tax dollars pay for northern tier roads, bridges, and other infrastructure and services funded by the state.

 Why not toll the parkways around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh? After all that is where the money will be going. PennDOT should work more efficiently and be more aware of their costs rather than just looking for more money all the time.

No.

PAT and SEPTA should be start being more fiscally responsible and held accountable for their own finances, instead of constantly being bailed out by revenue from making I-80 a toll road, drink taxes, etc.

Enough already.

Arguments against funding mass transit for urban areas are short-sighted as best, and grossly misinformed at worst. 

It is more cost effective to provide mass transit and other commuting alternatives in urbanized areas, than to construct and maintain more and more lane miles to satiate motor vehicle traffic congestion. 

Across the country, the average cost of urban roadway construction is 10 times greater than rural road construction.

Would you prefer that Philly, Pittsburgh and other second class communities steal $10 Million per mile of new roadway construction from rural areas to provide the additional capacity for congestion relief, or would you rather have PennDOT supply more funds for rural roads - at $1 Million per mile - and less, more effective funds to relieve urban congestion by providing adequate mass transit and alternative transportation modes?

 Absolutely not.  The machine in Harrisburg has become so corrupt that every nickel that goes to Hburg results in more graft and more corruption.  We need to starve Hburg of any additional funding until they get the message that he corruption must stop.

Let the users of the road pay for it.  For too long, Pittsburgh taxpayers have been subsidizing the maintenance of this road.  Now when funds are needed throughout Pennsylvania for maintenance and operation of roads and bridges, the northern tier counties are raising a stink?  Save us.  Plus, PENNDOT/Turnpike Comission is designing special toll gates that will allow locals to use the road for free.

The folks along the turnpike in the southern half of the state have been using the road an paying tolls for 60 years.  Many of my friends use the turnpike on their daily commute and pay the tolls. 

Much of this traffic consists of trucks riding through PA on their way to New Jersey or New York.  Let's let those users help maintain Pennsylvania's transporation system.

 I live 5 minutes from I-80 and use it several times a year.  It is a hectic road that has seen many accidents. It should be policed more to reduce speeders.   

As other readers have stated, tax dollars paid for the road why should we pay for it again.  I have driven on I-76 toll road and the road is horrible for the condition of a paid road.  Where is all the money going for I-76 that leaves the road rough.   Is the same thing going to happen because the turnpike commission does not know how to operate efficiently! 

Maybe Governor Rendell should look at cutting waste in other areas to make up the funds rather than tolling I-80.  After all Rendell is spending money when it is not needed. (e.g. Hired defeated Democratic Rep. Dan Surra for 95k and others)