The Virginian-Pilot
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Alarmed by last summer's flood-caused shutdown of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, a Northern Virginia lawmaker has introduced a bill to impose a $2 toll on that facility and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.
Del. Joe May, R-Leesburg, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, says the measure would raise an estimated $100 million a year.
May said Tuesday that he was "somewhat taken aback" by what he learned in the aftermath of the July 2 flooding incident that shut down the westbound Hampton Roads tube for eight hours and brought traffic in the region to a virtual standstill.
Besides the House transportation panel, May also chairs the Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability, which heard testimony from state transportation officials after the tunnel shutdown.
The flooding resulted from a water-main break that went undetected for hours.
An independent review panel that included experts from other facilities in Maryland and New York reported in December that out-of-state tunnels are inspected more frequently. They also have an around-the-clock maintenance presence on-site to resolve problems before they become crippling, the review found.
May said he believes the region's tunnels lack adequate funding for regular maintenance, let alone major repairs and eventual replacement.
The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is 52 years old, he noted. "It does have a finite life."
His bill, HB1323, would provide for an automated collection system that would allow motorists to travel through the tunnels without slowing to make payments.
The revenue collected at each tunnel would be deposited into a segregated account and allocated for the operation, maintenance and future improvements or replacement of that tunnel and the approaches to it.
For much of the past decade, state lawmakers and successive administrations have been unable to agree on how to raise money to fix old roads, bridges and tunnels and build new ones.
During the fall campaign, Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, laid out a variety of ideas for how to pay for road projects, including tolls.
But May said his bill is his own idea and was not submitted at the request of McDonnell or anyone else.
Hampton Roads lawmakers could not be reached Tuesday evening for reaction to the proposal.
Bill Sizemore, (804) 697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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Ridiculous
Tolls on these tunnels would be absolute chaos. Not only would it cause MORE traffic by having to stop to pay them, but especially in an economy like this, it is only causing more of a struggle and inconvenience to have to pay to go to work or school. My husband works in Norfolk and I go to school there and we live in NN and to have to pay to go to school or work an extra 60/month for each of us is not going to work. We would have to move back on that side and thats not an ideal situation for us. Not only us but i know many people travel back and forth daily. Tolls is the stupidest idea i have heard for these tunnels given the traffic situations anyways. When is this supposed to go into effect anyways??
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel $2 Toll
That will cause more problems. I use that to get to the Outer Banks annually in June. But due to the mess here, i use I-664 S on the way down. Work on an alternate to the Outer Banks other than levy toll on congested freeways.
$2.00 Toll
Yes there needs to be an answer to the traffic problem, but tolls are not the way to go. No one has mentioned the college students who travel to and from college. Between tuition, books and gas prices. You could possible be add an additional 80 per month. Others have posted that the people who use these bridges should be the ones who pay for them. We are the working poor. By the time you pay healthcare, daycare and by gas this would be devastating to us. Why not tax the areas that can afford it North Virginia. That's where are money collected from these tolls would end up anyway.
Tools
I don't like the car tax, but at least its equitable and a huge money maker. The proposed toll on the HRBT and MMBT are ridiculous. They are the main arteries to military installations and heavy manufacturing infrastructure. They were built to facilitate access between the Southside and the Penninsula. Now, the message is don't use them or you will have to pay. So make it easier for us to commute between the two areas which in addition to making employment available also facilitates commerce between the areas. Don't give a bad idea any more traction!
Same politician?...
I wonder if this is the same politician that "fixed" a section of Route 17 not too far from Leesburg. It was a rural stretch that connected Route 66 to Route 50. The route was very rural. Residences are mostly large horse farms that are set way back off the road. Most importantly it was a big time and fuel saver for truckers. It saved them about 40 miles of driving when they needed to get from 66 to 50.
First the speed limit was dropped from 55 to 45, 35 in some places. Noise restrictions for exhaust brakes were put in place. Big fancy signs were put up telling drivers not to blow horns, truck drivers to slow down, and police were patrolling this stretch more aggressively than any thing here. Then trucks were banned completely.
There was no reason I can fathom other than an easily annoyed politician with too much money! I just wish I could remember which one it was that lived on that big house on the hill. Several thousands of dollars of labor and fuel are now spent yearly there due to the fact tha drivers now have to take a much longer route to around that area.
Declining
Lets add it up. $6 round trip tolls on the downtown tunnel, midtown, MMC and HRBT, only a 1.4% pay increase for military next year, a 1% increase in state tax possibly, a repeal of the car tax, and declining housing prices. You get the picture. We are in for tough times ahead people.
tolls
What is wrong with adding casinos to help pay some of the road repair, bridges, and tunnels? we pay too much in taxes already. Give us some pleasure for our money. All of the states around Va already have slot machines. What are we waiting for?
It's Time to Take Some (Ir)rational Action!
I wonder if we can legally secede from the not so great Commonwealth of Virginia. A Carpet Bagger from Northern Virginia wants to levy tolls on us and will probably have some loopholes in the legislation so other parts of the state can reap the benefits.
Take a look at most roads west of Richmond. They're in a lot better shape than around here and it's our tax dollars that did it. We do not get anywhere close to the taxes we pay to improve, or even maintain, the infrastructure in and around Hampton Roads.
Maybe it's time we become the 51st state and use our taxes for ourselves!
Leesburg
A "northern-Va" lawmaker, eh? Easy for him to say. Sorry, but he's not the right guy to even have an opinion on the subject. I'm not totally against tolls but why does it have to be $2. I've got to cross the Monitor-Merrimac everyday and I think this is too much, esp. since I go 30 miles one way. How about 50 cents? Or would $25 million a year not line enough pockets??? Mr. Leesburg, you've got plenty of traffic problems of your own (in northern Va.) so thanks but no thanks.
I'll buy into it, but . . .
I want a 100% guarantee the money stays in this area, and that the funds are used to improve transportation and infrastructure only. And I'd like to see the line item in the budget, so as not to be grouped into other costs.
By the way, for those of you who didn't want the HRTA to exist, do the math. $95 per year cost (fuel tax, registration & safety inspection fees) sure beats the $500 yearly cost for someone to drive back and forth to work via the tunnels. And the localities as a group, not a state agency, had control over where to spend it.