I-80 tolls the best of ideas … or the worst

Eric Heyl on Tolling I-80 in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The most significant problem with this proposal — and it is a particularly nagging one — is that tolling the road might not be legal.

The Federal Highway Administration has to sign off on the plan, and there is no indication yet that it will do so. …

Given the tolling plan’s tenuous status, you probably are wondering why the proposal wasn’t more carefully studied before it was enacted. Turns out it was — by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. …

“Based on the long timetable to realize benefits, the high cost of converting the road to toll and the fact that the financial break-even point is decades away, it is recommended that converting I-80 to a toll road not be pursued at this time.” the study concluded. …

According to PennDOT, tolling I-80 is a terrible idea. According to the Turnpike Commission, tolling I-80 is a wonderful idea. … Which of the transportation agencies is wrong?