Gov. Bob McDonnell says this morning that federal authorities have given preliminary approval for his plans to place tolls on Interstate 95.
McDonnell says that allowing the tolls would be a critical step in raising the money needed for road improvements on the I-95 corridor.
The McDonnell administration last year asked federal officials for permission to place tolls on traffic on Interstate 95 near the North Carolina line and projected it could raise as much as $60 million a year to improve the highway.
According to the OK given to the state in a Sept. 14 letter, the governor's office said, Virginia's plan for the I-95 tolls would be brought under the Interstate 95 Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program.
The Virginia Department of Transportation would have to undertake additional studies before final approval could be granted, McDonnell's office said.
"As part of this approval, VDOT’s conditional provisional approval to toll I-81 will be rescinded, and I-95 will become one of three projects under the Interstate Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program," McDonnell's office said.
The governor's office said that projects that could be paid for by tolls include widening the busy highway between I-295 and the North Carolina line, improving smart traffic systems, widening shoulders and installing guardrails.
Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said I-95 badly needs improving.
“The entire I-95 corridor averages a level of service of ‘D’ and some more urban portions are ‘F’ during peak periods,” he said. “This level of service is unacceptable anywhere, let alone on the most traveled corridor in Virginia. The ability to implement tolling will provide the revenues necessary to improve I-95.”
Connaughton said the exact location of the toll plaza had not been determined.
(This has been a breaking news update. Check back for more details as they become available. Read more in tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
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