A new proposal to make Interstate 70 into a toll road has new teeth. Despite state representatives’ belief that they had killed the plan in past Missouri legislative sessions, it’s back again in …
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Local leaders prepare to fight I-70 tolling
Posted
By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
A new proposal to make Interstate 70 into a toll road has new teeth.Despite state representatives’ belief that they had killed the plan in past Missouri legislative sessions, it’s back again in 2017 and it has local leaders worried.A bill filed in the Missouri House of Representatives would allow the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to partner with private entities “to finance, develop, or operate a new reconstruction project of I-70, funded by user fees,” according to the bill’s summary.State officials say a large amount of new revenue is needed to cover the cost of major reconstruction along the interstate.The proposal would apply to the portion of I-70 between Wentzville and Independence, outside of the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas.Local officials say the plan will do major damage to the economy of cities along the I-70 corridor, souring Warren County for prospective new businesses and taxing anyone who commutes via the interstate.“It’s going to kill our area,” Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter said. “You’re going to concentrate on rural areas, who are fighting to survive as it is. You’re going to cut us off even more. And then you’re not talking about tolling any other highway in the state. I have an issue with that.”Another concern shared by local officials is that anyone traveling short distances will use side roads to avoid paying tolls on I-70. That means more wear and tear deteriorating the condition of those roads.“We’ve been in the trenches for some time on this,” said Warren County Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson. “Actually, we’re blessed with a group of business people in this county, and many of the citizens, who realize the impact that a toll road would have — the drop in property values, the loss of business.”The bill is HB 155. It was proposed by Rep. Kevin Corlew of Kansas City, District 14.Deteriorating conditionsMoDOT officials say they need more revenue, whether from tolls or another source, to adequately address I-70’s increasing traffic load and a crumbling foundation.The cost of operating and maintaining I-70 currently is about $50-$60 million per year, said MoDOT Special Assignments Coordinator Bob Brendel in an email. That includes resurfacing, repairs, snow removal and general upkeep.The trouble is below the surface. The original pavement, which forms the foundation of the interstate, “has deteriorated under decades of mounting traffic to such a degree that surface treatments last for shorter and shorter periods,” Brendel said. “While what is on top may not look bad ... what is underneath is far worse, eroding the overall stability of the roadway.”I-70 is more than 50 years old and carries far more vehicles than it was originally designed for, according to a 2014 MoDOT report. The road originally was intended for up to 18,000 vehicles per day, but carries an average of 28,000 per day in the lowest traffic areas, according to the report. That jumps to 98,000 vehicles per day outside of Kansas City and 75,000 per day near Wentzville, the report states.MoDOT predicts that by 2030, I-70 will be so crowded the road will “operate in a stop-and-go condition” across most of the state. Because of that, the agency wants to add another lane in both directions.A more immediate concern is that many of the bridges along I-70 will soon need major repairs or replacement. Nine bridges in rural areas are scheduled for replacement in the next five years, Brendel said.Cost of constructionFixing all of those problems comes at a high price. MoDOT estimates reconstructing the existing road and adding a lane in each direction will cost $2 billion. Other, more extensive plans would cost $3-$4 billion.Those were the concerns MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna brought to a gathering of the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council on Jan. 26. Representatives of businesses and local governments throughout Warren and Montgomery counties attended the meeting at Hunter Modular Construction in Jonesburg.MoDOT’s budget is stretched just to maintain current road conditions, and is still falling behind on bridges throughout the state, McKenna said. The department has $825 million in unfunded transportation needs each year, he said. That includes $300 million per year for major reconstruction along I-70 and other Missouri interstates.To cover just the bill for interstate reconstruction, McKenna said the department needs the equivalent of $5.82 per month from every licensed driver in the state. That can come from tolling or from other sources, but without more funding, conditions will continue to deteriorate and the department will have to begin removing worn-out overpass bridges, McKenna said.“We’re not advocating for a particular solution to any of this,” McKenna said. “What we’re trying to say is, ‘Here’s the situation. ... Here’s how much solving it would cost.’Funding optionsThe state should consider every option that’s on the table, even though tolling has its problems, McKenna said.“Tolling is a pain in the neck to administer. I am not enamored with it as an option. It is more expensive to collect than the gas tax,” McKenna said. “We simply, as a transportation agency looking at the needs of the system, have not come up with a solution.”One of the attendees at the meeting asked McKenna why the state would punish people who live along the I-70 corridor instead of spreading the cost among all Missouri taxpayers.McKenna replied that the state had attempted to do so multiple times through fuel tax increases. He said each 1 cent of fuel tax generates $40 million per year — but every proposed increase has been defeated when it went to a vote of the people.“Missourians are not convinced that these investments are worth making,” McKenna said.That hasn’t stopped opponents of tolling from suggesting a higher fuel tax as their first alternative.Ron Leone, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum and Convenience Store Association, said there are a variety of other options. One suggestion is to move away from a system in which fuel-efficient vehicles pay less for using the same roads.The state could tax drivers based on the number of miles traveled, as opposed to the amount of fuel they consume, Leone said. That way, the amount a driver pays for road construction is directly related to how much they use Missouri roads.Tolling is now or neverMissouri state Rep. Bart Korman and Sen. Jeanie Riddle attended the EDC meeting and said they will fight to keep the tolling proposal from advancing in the Legislature. The bill hasn’t yet been scheduled for hearing by the House Transportation Committee, of which Korman is a member.However the issue plays out in the Legislature, this appears to be the final year tolling I-70 is available as an option.Tolling on the interstate can only be done with the permission of the Federal Highway Administration. The offer that would allow Missouri to establish a tolling system was set to expire at the end of 2016, but was extended in early January.According to a letter from the Federal Highway Administration, the extension is contingent on the Missouri Legislature’s action. If the bill to institute tolling doesn’t get approval by May, the federal offer is terminated.Tolling I-70 is not a new idea. The current discussion of tolling I-70 began in 2011, when MoDOT officials were seeking a funding mechanism to make extensive repairs and expansions to the road. A 2012 tolling proposal failed to pass by the state Legislature.
Local leaders are preparing to fight a Missouri House bill that would allow tolling along Interstate 70. MoDOT officials say they need more funding to rebuild the interstate. Record photo/ Adam Rollins.
