I-80 plan relies on traffic growth, while drivers are driving less

Congressman Peterson, the lead critic of tolling I-80, makes an astute observation: the Turnpike Commission’s financial model relies on I-80 traffic growing 2.5% annually. Yet a recent report and news stories highlight the fact that drivers are driving lass due to higher gas prices.  And that is without new tolls on I-80..

This 2.5% growth model was also used by the academics hired by House Democrats to do their own study (their model only expected 1% traffic growth if the Turnpike was leased to a private operator, with no justification for the different traffic models).

In addition to the questionable model of traffic growth, the heavy borrowing based on future revenue, mandatory payments to PennDOT, and no caps on tolls (on either I-80 or the Tunpike), increase the likelihood that tolls will increase even higher than the Turnpike Commission has promised.