CarsRFun

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories...507&ran=167259
House committee approves bill allowing area bridge tolls
By MIKE GRUSS, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 3, 2006

Tolls on Hampton Roads' bridges and tunnels are a key element in solving the region's transportation puzzle, a House committee said Thursday.

Under SB192, sponsored by Sen. Martin Williams, R-Newport News, the state would create a regional transportation authority that could collect tolls from the area's bridges and tunnels to help pay off bonds for road construction projects in Hampton Roads. The bill passed the House transportation committee Thursday by a 14-8 vote.


Proponents say the tolls are necessary because no statewide transportation plan will include enough money to single-handedly solve Hampton Roads' problems. Hampton Roads leaders say the region will need $275 million in new money and tolls if it is to build a series of highly sought-after projects, including a third crossing between Norfolk and Hampton.

The newly created authority could impose tolls on crossings including the James River Bridge, the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the Midtown Tunnel, the Downtown Tunnel and the Interstate 64 High-Rise Bridge in Chesapeake.
Williams said the tolls will be a regular part of the Hampton Roads routine for decades and "probably for the rest of our lives."


Del. Leo Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, the House transportation chairman, submitted a substitute version of the bill that passed Thursday. His version would collapse the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Commission into the new bridge and tunnel authority.

It would also nullify a compromise Williams reached with Eastern Shore residents who fear money from the bridge could be diverted across Hampton Roads and that new tunnels would fall in priority behind other projects.

The bill allows for the tolls to change based on the time or the day. For example, a driver on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel during a weekday rush hour may pay more than a driver at 3 a.m. on a Sunday. The bill does not specify toll amounts.

A set of amendments aimed at softening the measure failed. They included asking for a referendum before tolling and requiring the toll booths for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to be located in Norfolk.

In a related matter Thursday, a Senate committee rejected a separate proposal by Wardrup that would block the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Commission's plans to begin construction in 2015 on new tunnels. The project has an estimated price of $890 million.

The delegate says he believes traffic on the connector between Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore doesn't justify the expenditure.

Wardrup sponsored two bills this year, HB662 and HB663, requiring legislative approval before work could begin on the tunnels and restricting the commission's bonding authority.

A Senate committee headed by Williams declined to support the measures, noting that they would undermine the proposed regional tolling authority.

The final plan for reducing congestion on Hampton Roads' highways is still at least a week away. While SB192 now goes before the full House, representatives from both chambers will hash out the tolling details in the final days of the session.

At the same time, House and Senate leaders will negotiate the budget, where local leaders are looking for significant financ ing to solve traffic problems.

djperico

That sucks.

g S x

thats it im moving.

CarsRFun

its not law yet.. call your elected offical and tell them what you think.

00civic23

thats not good for those of us who have to commute everyday to work. Traffic is gonna be backed up for 5 miles everyday going across the hrbt.

djperico

yes indeed. I feel sorry for those people in peninsula who is station in Norfolk. I wonder how much the toll is going to be.

vasponger

and the downtown tunnel.. that allready takes an hour to get through

Hybrid AWD

it was proposed, and if they actually do put up tolls... ha fucking morons.

montman

Tell me about it, my commute takes 30+ mins to go <15 miles to downtown norfolk.
Its going to be so much worse.

blah

The only thing a toll will do is create more traffic. If they need money, why don't they use the $1.5 billion surplus we had last year or the excess amount that going to be this year since the home assessments have gone through the fucking roof. (Mine went up $92k from last year. )

And how about we stop paying the motherfuckers who are doing the construction on the roads when they fuck up two times and take four times as long to complete it. (a la the 64 Mercury Blvd clusterfuck)

And to the guy who thought we need the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel redone with new tunnels at a tune of $890 million, go fuck yourself. That bridge has never been backed up. EVER. Even when they do the charity walk and only one side of it is open, it's not backed up.