NO TOLLS ON I-80 News From the Standard-Journal
Residents pan state’s tolling plan
By Jeff Shaffer, Standard-Journal Staff writer
Tuesday, November 13, 2007, Reprinted with Permission
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UP IN ARMS — Harold Wohlheiter, a trucker from Mifflinburg, voices his thoughts on potential Interstate 80 tolling. Not one member of the public who spoke during the public meeting Monday night at the Milton Area High School was in support of the plan.
Photo by Jeff Shaffer/Standard Journal |
MILTON — Central Pennsylvanians who turned out for Monday night’s presentation on tolling Interstate 80 let it be known the proposal is far from their favorite.
Residents from Bellefonte to White Haven were given the chance to address the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) and its representatives Monday night at Milton Area High School. Most expressed how detrimental tolling on Interstate 80 would be to the Valley, not just on the economy, but also on secondary roads.
In July, state lawmakers approved Act 44, which has allowed PennDOT to enter into a 50-year lease with the PTC as a means of raising funds to fix aging roads and bridges, as well as maintain I-80. The plan also calls for an increase tolls on the turnpike.
Tolling on I-80, which could start in a couple of years, is expected to generate $116 billion over the next 50 years.
Prior to the actual presentation and public meetings Monday evening at the Milton Area High School, the PTC displayed large signs and standard-sized documents of its plans for I-80.
Although those in attendance posed a lot of questions to the commission, solid answers were few and far between. PTC officials said several times they were not prepared to answer questions and the evening was designed to provide issues to study ofver the next several months.
William J. Capone, PTC director of communications and public relations, said Monday was about listening, not responding.
Surprisingly — considering this is the closest public meeting for Valley residents between Bellefonte and White Haven — only about 120 or so turned out. Of those who traveled to Milton High, only a handful were local governmental officials. It should be noted, a private meeting was held Monday morning for elected officials at Turbot Hills Golf Club.
Just about everyone who turned out Monday night was against the tolling.
The Central Pa. Chamber of Commerce was collecting signatures for a petition in opposition to tolling and handing out anti-tolling stickers.
According to Bruce Smith, membership and marketing director of the chamber, not a single person turned down a sticker.
The area trucking community was most well represented at Monday’s meeting. Transportation industry officials were critical of Act 44 and the state bureaucrats behind it. Many said tolling will take a lot of money from their pockets and line others.
In addition, Todd Ruhl of TKMT Trucking in Mifflinburg said he feels I-80 is in good shape, and the Turnpike, run by the commission, is in very poor shape.
Others wondered if the condition of I-80 will actually worsen if the commission takes over the Interstate.
Todd’s brother Gary Ruhl, of RG & Son Trucking in Mifflinburg, said he would avoid I-80 when possible. However, he’s aware of the chaos this would create on secondary roads. He compared it to a recent crash on I-80 near Danville. The other area roads were simply overwhelmed, he said.
Harold Wohlheiter, another trucker from Mifflinburg, questioned the legality of tolling I-80.
“They (interstates) were created to be free,” he said.
Barry Schoch of McCormick Taylor Inc., the engineering firm spearheading the effort of implementing Act 44, said federal guidelines have changed over the years and tolling is permitted on I-80.
John Haynes of Williamsport, who also has a small trucking company, simply said it is a “big mistake” to toll I-80.
“I don’t know how I’ll survive,” he said, mentioning half of his earnings already go toward paying for fuel.
Steve Patton, president of Watsontown Trucking in the Milton Industrial Park, asked a question instead of making a statement during the meeting.
“If you owned my company, what would you do to recoup $700,000?” he asked Schoch.
He was given no answer.
In addition, out of 80 of his drivers surveyed, 74 rated I-80 as being in the best shape of the interstate systems in the state. The Turnpike was picked as the worst.
“Is that what we should look forward to?” asked Patton.
Rick Bowersox of Milton Trans projected an extra $883,000 in expenses from tolling, much of which would have to be passed on to the consumer. Kenneth Holgate, local service center manager for Con-way Freight-Central, a national courier, projected $8.5 million in extra expenses.
“We don’t have a choice,” Holgate said, of using I-80 to move trucks.
Not only were those in the trucking industry left discombobulated, but so were residents who fear the economy as a whole will take a big hit.
Camille Olive of Lewisburg said the region has lost thousands of jobs in the last six years and it cannot afford to lose out on distribution centers.
Union County commissioner Preston Boop, one of the few public officials from the area to show up, said the county has been working hard for years trying to replace lost jobs.
“We’re competing to bring in jobs from all over, why would they come here (if I-80 tolling becomes a reality)?” Boop said.
According to Mike Glazer, who represents state Sen. John Peterson (R-5), it’s his understanding that Target wouldn’t even have considered putting its distribution center in Great Steam Commons if Act 44 would have been enacted a year ago.
Earlier in the meeting, Glazer said there just isn’t any trust in the government in this case.
“We feel it’s being pushed down our throats,” he said, which received an applause, as most opposition did.
Mike Goldman of Watsontown also touched on the political side of things.
“This is being presented as an economic issue, but it’s not,” he said.
Goldman said I-80 has the lowest volume of traffic, but yet will bare the burden of tolls. He asked if it wouldn’t make more economic sense to toll a busier road, like I-95.
He said it’s not being considered because “that’s were the votes are.”
Maria Culp, president and CEO of the Central Pa. Chamber, said Act 44 was passed overnight, just like the infamous pay raises in 2005.
The project still needs approval from the Federal Highway Commission. The PTC plans to revisit the area for its second round of meetings in February or March.
Jeff Shaffer: 570-742-9671
jeff@standard-journal.com
