That ought to make those who get off on any "illegal alien" issues quite
happy.


In article .com>,
"MrPepper11" > wrote:

> Los Angeles Times
> March 10, 2005
>
> Congress Paving the Way for Tolls on Interstates
> Legislation backed by the Bush administration would let states charge
> drivers fees to fund new highways or to reduce rush-hour traffic.
> By Richard Simon, Times Staff Writer
>
> WASHINGTON - With traffic congestion growing worse - and state and
> federal budgets as red as the brake lights from cars backed up on a Los
> Angeles freeway - Congress is moving toward relaxing a decades-old
> restriction on tolls on interstate highways.
>
> The legislation, backed by the Bush administration, would give states
> greater authority to impose tolls to reduce gridlock.
>
> These charges could be levied to raise money for new highway
> construction. Or motorists could be charged varying tolls during the
> day, with higher tolls in effect during rush hours to nudge drivers
> into making some of their trips during less busy times.
>
> The toll provisions are part of a long-stalled $284-billion, six-year
> transportation spending bill that is expected to clear the House today.
> The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the bill within a few
> months.
>
> Last year, the legislation stalled amid complaints from the White House
> that it was too costly. But now, the administration and congressional
> GOP leaders appear to have settled on a price tag.
>
> Although the House and Senate bills contain different provisions on
> tolls, some easing of the rules against such charges on interstates
> seems certain to emerge in the final version of the legislation.
>
> The 46,730-mile interstate system has been largely free of tolls since
> its birth in 1956, though a number of old turnpikes, mostly on the East
> Coast, charge tolls.
>
> Some experimental tolling also has been permitted, such as on a stretch
> of Interstate 15 in San Diego County where drivers with no passengers
> can buy their way into the carpool lanes. They pay tolls varying from
> 50 cents to $8, depending on the level of congestion in the lane at the
> time.
>
> Supporters of the toll provisions say they hope to see similar projects
> on more highways if the federal rules are relaxed. The House bill, in
> fact, would give states authority to open more carpool lanes to solo
> motorists willing to pay a toll to speed past the traffic.
>
> Among its other provisions, the House bill would establish three pilot
> programs that would allow tolls to be levied to fund new interstate
> construction. And it would authorize 25 so-called congestion-pricing
> projects on existing highways. Under that program, motorists would be
> charged the higher tolls during rush hours.
>
> The Senate bill, which is still being drafted, is expected to go
> further. It would allow states to impose tolls on newly built lanes. It
> also would allow states to use congestion pricing, but not limit the
> number of projects.
>
> Not everyone is eager to see more tolls.
>
> In California, Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach), who chairs
> the Assembly Transportation Committee, said she would oppose any effort
> to create more toll roads in California.
>
> "I have always held the view that public highways should be equally
> accessible to everybody," she said. "The answer to reducing highway
> congestion should include a mix of more funding for highway
> construction and mass-transit projects."
>
> In Washington, opponents of tolls - including the American Trucking
> Assns. and the American Automobile Assn. - have begun lobbying against
> allowing charges on existing roads. They contend such tolls amount to
> double taxation of motorists who already have paid gasoline taxes.
>
> The trucking industry group also warns that tolls on existing highways
> could drive truck traffic onto city streets, worsening traffic
> congestion on those roads.
>
> But in a sign of the growing political support for tolls, the House on
> Wednesday rejected a measure that would have limited tolls to newly
> constructed lanes and required the charges be lifted once the new lanes
> were paid for. State highway officials were among those opposing any
> effort to weaken the bill's toll provisions.
>
> The push for tolls has gained legislative momentum because the federal
> government and an increasing number of states are strapped for cash to
> maintain highways, let alone improve them.
>
> "No tolls, no roads," Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) said.
>
> The federal gasoline tax, the major source of funding for highways, has
> not been raised in more than a decade, and Bush opposes any increase.
> Additionally, federal officials are concerned that federal efforts to
> encourage greater use of more fuel-efficient vehicles could reduce gas
> tax revenue, making even less money available for highway projects.
>
> States are finding transportation funds competing with other critical
> needs.
>
> In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed diverting $1.3
> billion from transportation projects to help close the state's budget
> gap.
>
> Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on tolls on federal highways,
> said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the state's Business,
> Transportation and Housing Agency.
>
> Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters said public attitudes
> about tolls had shifted, in part because of technological advances.
> Now, vehicles can be equipped with electronic transmitters that allow
> motorists to pay tolls without stopping.
>
> "People are saying, 'I don't mind paying the toll so much, but just
> don't make me stop,' " she said.
>
> The focus on imposing tolls to help pay for improved roadways comes as
> studies find traffic congestion growing. Between 1990 and 2001, the
> percentage of freeway mileage that was congested grew from 49% to 60%,
> according to the Texas Transportation Institute.
>
> Robert Poole, director of transportation studies for the Reason
> Foundation, a Santa Monica think tank, said there was a "huge need to
> rebuild portions of our freeways and interstates, but very little money
> - and no political will to increase federal gas taxes. So the only way
> to get where we need to go is with a new funding source: tolls."
>
> If the federal rules on tolls are relaxed, tolls would still need to be
> approved at the state level.
>
> "This is very, very politically dicey," Poole said.
>
> Still, a number of states also are turning to tolls as a way to finance
> new highway projects. Texas has embarked on a massive highway
> construction program using tolls to fund new state highways. In
> Connecticut and North Carolina, state legislation has been introduced
> to impose tolls on highways at the state borders.
>
> Free-market proponents frequently float the notion of toll roads when
> California's state government is in financial trouble, but the state's
> limited experience with the pay-as-you-go roads has been troubled.
>
> In 1989, the Legislature authorized Caltrans to sign contracts with
> private companies for four demonstration toll road projects, only one
> of which is operating.
>
> That case involves 10 miles of California 91 in Orange County, one of
> the state's most congested stretches of highway, which since has been
> bought by the Orange County Transportation Authority.
>
> The largest toll road system in California is a 51-mile network
> operated by the Transportation Corridor Agencies, a government entity
> based in Irvine.
>
> ---------------------
>
> Highway bill
>
> The Transportation Equity Act would provide $284 billion for projects
> for fiscal years 2004 through 2009, up from $218 billion in the
> previous six-year period. If enacted, here's where the money might go:
>
> (In billions)
>
> Highways $225.5
> Transit $52.3
> Safety $3.2
> Truck safety $2.9
>
> Source: Associated Press
>
> Note: The bill contains about $10 billion in "earmarks" for 3,700
> specific projects requested by individual lawmakers.