Stimulus dollars set off fight on tollroads

Stimulus grants for highways have set off political fights over whether they should be used for tollroads. The biggest fight is in West Virginia where the Manchin administration is at odds with powerful legislators over whether stimulus-$s can be used for the West Virginia Turnpike. The administration says "No, the feds won't allow it." 

In the Senate the majority leader Truman Chafin (Dem) and the Minority Leader Don Caruth (Rep) are sponsoring legislation to require federal stimulus funds be used on the Turnpike.

The bill also would prohibit action by the state Turnpike to raise tolls again. (Tolls were increased last in 1981.)

The Manchin administration says the Turnpike should generate its own revenues for improvements and the stimulus dollars from Washington DC should be used for untolled roads.

Texas

In Texas stimulus-$s are being proposed for some toll projects by the Perry administration.

$181m would go to the Grand Parkway, a 4th beltway around Houston. Environmentalists, transit enthusiasts and other tollroad opponents are fighting this saying the money "subverts the intent" of the federal stimulus bill and destroy wildlife habitat.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-03-10