Interstate-95 takes a toll

By Heather M. Taylor
Guest Writer

There is a debate on whether Interstate-95 would become a toll road through North Carolina, but discussion was as far as the flames were thrown.

There is a new heated discussion and serious debate over the possibility of I-95 becoming a toll road as Sen. Larry Shaw gains support from the state Department of Transportation.

The fuel for this battle is in the state’s fiscal straits and the interstate’s need for serious repairs. According to the state, the interstate will need about $3 billion in repairs within the next 25-30 years.

According to state transportation planners, six tollbooths will be placed on I-95, one on both the South Carolina and Virginia borders, and four more in between. This means tollbooths will stop traffic every 30 miles. Each tollbooth would cost the drivers passing through $3 per car.

This will cause problems for the state in businesses that depend on those travelers. Tourists going north or south would likely reroute rather than pay the money to travel through the state.

The tolls will create a stop-and-go traffic annoyance that could cause severe traffic collisions. This danger is a major reason why it is so difficult for states to impose tollbooths on interstate highways.

Tollbooths are a bad solution to a big problem. Are there not other ways to gain the funds for the repairs needed to the interstate without putting a damper on the state’s economy?

If the state’s budget cannot be balanced without dipping into highway funds, taxes would probably be raised.

But after the anti-taxation rants of the state’s citizens, no politician would dare suggest a slight raise in the state’s taxes. Taxpayers in North Carolina already have a kind of “taxaphobia.” They want better services without paying extra to get them.

If the terrible tolls become a reality, the state’s citizens might rather have a slight raise in taxes that could eliminate the tolls altogether.

The tolls would pose a terrible burden on North Carolina’s economy, and it looks like North Carolina will have to grin and pay the tolls if another solution cannot be found.