I-95 to become a Toll Road?

Overview - As the East Coast’s main north-south highway, I-95 plays an important role in commerce and tourism, linking the nation’s populous Northeast with the South Atlantic and tourist centers of Florida.  It passes through more states than any other interstate highway, connecting some of the most densely populated regions of the country.

 Construction of I-95 in NC began in the mid 1950s, with the final sections built in 1980.  Much of the corridor remains a four-lane divided highway as when it was built.  Because there has not been major reconstruction or rehabilitation on I-95 since it was originally built, the majority of bridges, pavement, ramps and other infrastructure are reaching the end of their expected life and need replacement.  This issue has become immediate because of the large amount of heavy vehicles and trucks that use I-95 every day.  These trucks cause greater wear and tear of the roadway than lighter vehicles.

The I-95 Corridor Planning and Finance Study Environmental Assessment (EA), which will be discussed in this presentation, identified $4.4 billion in needed improvements on the I-95 corridor over the next 40 years and proposed a tolling plan that could be used to pay for these improvements.  However, tolling is not a “done deal”.  NCDOT is at the beginning of a process that will require many more steps before tolls can be placed on I-95 including receiving final tolling authority from FHWA.

In the next phase of the project, NCDOT will conduct an in-depth socio-economic analysis that evaluates the potential impacts that tolling I-95 could have on the local economies of Eastern NC.  FHWA will not grant final tolling authority until it demonstrates how the plan for implementing tolls takes into account the interests of local, regional and interstate travelers. 

 For more information visit www.driving95.com