The Missouri House of Representatives approved a bill last week that would effectively block the creation of tolls for I-70 and any other public highway in Missouri without a public ballot measure.
The bill, HB1277, is being sponsored by Rep. Thomas Long, R-District 134, and is aimed at ensuring the Missouri Department of Transportation takes the toll issue to Missouri voters.
“Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to authorize the construction, maintenance, reconstruction, or operation of toll roads or toll facilities in this state,” according to the perfected bill.
Gov. Jay Nixon agrees with the idea of a public vote and said at the Feb. 9 annual capital media event that the issue of tolls on I-70 should be brought before the public.
“If we’re going to have those, the people of the state of Missouri need to vote on them,” Nixon said.
If MoDOT was able to move forward with its proposal to use private funds to rebuild the highway, Missouri travelers would have seen costs up to $25 to travel the length of the state, with truck drivers paying up to $75.
MoDOT has put forth several proposals to fund the project, which is estimated to cost between $2 and $4 billion over a six-year span, but the idea of tolls is at the forefront, said Bob Brendel, Special Assignments Coordinator for MoDOT.
Brendel thinks the idea of tolls is a viable option and should be instituted, and since they are not using taxpayer money, no public referendum is needed.
“The interstate needs improvement,” Brendel said. “Authorization to enter into a public-private partnership does not require a public vote.”
The planned expansion will create thousands of jobs over six to eight years and help stimulate economic growth, he said.
Most agree I-70 needs major improvements, and without tolls it will still need to be upgraded, said Senator Bill Stouffer, R-Jefferson City.
“The interstate is designed for 20,000 vehicles a day through Columbia, but currently we see about 70,000,” Stouffer said.
The plan could be funded by a partial fuel surcharge increase or even a small sales tax increase, both of which would generate revenue for the project, said Tom Crawford, president of the Missouri Trucking Association.
“The idea of tolls on existing highways is inefficient, and we oppose it,” Crawford said. “The state could increase the general sales tax or add additional fuel taxes, either of those two taxes have a much lower cost to collect, essentially a 2 to 4 percent administrative cost, as compared to up to 25 percent administrative cost from a toll.”
Stouffer also said 36 percent of all Missouri jobs are within 30 miles of I-70 and I-44, so the required highway upgrades would affect a large portion of working Missourians. The question at hand is a matter of how it will be funded.
Voters have twice rejected the idea of tolls in Missouri since 1970, so the most likely means to fund the major I-70 upgrades is through an increase in the fuel tax or sales tax, Crawford said.
Stouffer thinks a 10-year limit on any new taxes to fund the project is fair, so the road gets the necessary upgrades but Missouri citizens don’t get stuck with massive toll costs.
Next, the bill will continue on the legislative process to the Senate, and if passed, the new legislation blocking tolls without a vote will take effect in August 2012.
