Toll proposal is a rough start

Tolls are not the most graceful way to raise money for highways, so it's fitting that the only bill to add new tolls in Hampton Roads is conspicuously awkward.

The proposal in the House of Delegates would impose $2 tolls at the Hampton Roads and Monitor Merrimac Memorial bridge-tunnels, generating an estimated $100 million a year. The money would pay for "operation, maintenance and future improvements or replacement" of the two tunnels.

Here's the awkward part: Its only sponsor is a Northern Virginia Republican.

Del. Joe May said he concluded tolls were needed after a water leak at HRBT touched off a massive traffic backup that immobilized much of Hampton Roads last summer.

"The tunnel is under-staffed, under-maintained and there's no provision for replacement," he said. "The two tunnels are really major assets for the Hampton Roads area and without them Norfolk becomes an island."

May isn't just some busybody from up north. He's chairman of the House Transportation Committee, so he's supposed to take a broader view of Virginia's highway ills.

Nevertheless, his bill would be less controversial if he had partnered with leaders from Hampton Roads. That's partly his fault and partly the fault of regional lawmakers.

May gave a few legislators from the region a heads-up, but most learned about it after the bill had been filed. It would have made a powerful statement if May had been joined in the effort by Senate Transportation Chairman Yvonne Miller, but she wasn't invited to co-sponsor the measure. That was a missed opportunity. Gov. Bob McDonnell supports tolls but hasn't endorsed the proposal, either.

Some Hampton Roads lawmakers are willing to consider the idea.

But others are finding fault. Del. John Cosgrove said he's concerned toll booths will exacerbate congestion. Del. Glenn Oder said tolls will be an "option" but only after plans are developed for a tunnel expansion and unspecified "reforms" are adopted. Reality check: Tolls are inevitable because legislators have failed to address transportation funding needs for a quarter-century.

Sen. Miller says May has done the region a favor. "He's taken the risk of being bombarded for calling attention to the severity of the danger we face," she said.

May has proposed modern toll automation that would enable many motorists to drive through the facility without slowing down. He's also consulting with federal authorities to determine whether an expansion of a tunnel must be under contract before tolls can be collected.

If that doesn't satisfy his critics, they are free to suggest improvements to May's work or to support an alternative solution, such as a Senate bill that would generate road revenues through higher taxes on fuel and motor vehicle sales.

Those who are hanging their hopes on a bill that would siphon dollars from the port should rethink their strategy. Cargo volumes were down 16 percent last year and are expected to remain anemic in 2010.

May's bill is not perfect, and it certainly represents no comprehensive strategy to local transportation shortcomings, but naysayers need to do more than say nay.