15.3 C
Vancouver
Saturday, June 21, 2025

Virginia Abandons Toll Idea on I-81

ย 

According to a report from WSET on January 31, the Virginia Senate Finance Committee rejected the plan to fund infrastructure improvements on I-81 by adding tolls to both cars and semi-trucks.

The plan was originally presented by Governor Ralph Northam with the potential of generating close to $2 billion for I-81 improvements; however, it would have cost truckers over $50 to cross I-81 and passenger vehicle drivers over $25.

The plan to toll the interstate caused quite the uproar within the trucking community, even having the ATA (American Trucking Associations) threatening to sue the state of Virginia as it โ€œdiscriminates against interstate commerce by favouring noncommercial vehicles over commercial vehicles.โ€

Director of Business Development for Lawrence Transportation, K.T. Treat said, โ€œOur top expense is labor and benefits, second largest is fuel, and with this proposal, itโ€™s going to be our third expense for the trucking industry. Thatโ€™s unfair.โ€