Tolls or Trains
| Published 11/19/04

Graphic by: Tim Tuley

Many students at Radford will be heading home this Thanksgiving break by way of Interstate 81, which runs from a total of 855 miles, with the busiest section being between Knoxville, TN and Harrisburg, PA. But I'm sure many of you who have driven on this interstate have noticed how busy and congested it is, mainly because of semi-trucks. The state is aware of this problem and has come up with three possible solutions from three different groups. Here is what the future could hold.

The first recommendation comes from Fluor Virginia, Inc. They propose to widen I-81 from four lanes to six along most of the 325 miles that go through Virginia at a cost of $7 billion dollars, mostly funded by a 30-cent truck-only toll. But a larger group known as the Safer Transport and Roadways (STAR) Solutions has overshadowed this plan. STAR's plan is to have an 8 to 12-lane highway system that also has lanes that are strictly for large industrial trucks, with around six ³exit ramps² to go from the industrial Star plans to finance this massive project through federal, state and private funds as well as a proposal to charge tolls lanes to the regular traffic lanes. This plan is expected to cost around $13 billion, while Star plans to finance this massive project through federal, state and private funds as well as a proposal to charge tolls. Finally, there is the railroad proposition. What this would entail is putting the money towards upgrading the rail systems so that they not only are able to carry more freight from north to south, but to also be able to transport people up and down the east coast.

Now that you have heard all the different propositions there are a few details that need to be mentioned to emphasize the potential problems involved. With widening the roads you have to look at some key areas. First is traffic. The interstate now consists of 40% truck traffic when the interstate is only made for 15% and by widening it many feel it will just bring more trucks than before. Second is construction. Many people feel that more construction will eventually ruin scenic Shenandoah Mountains and New River Valley with pollution and an interstate that is wider than a football field with the end zones included. Finally there are tolls. Many people, including myself, are not fans of tolls at all. Many truck drivers have stated that if I-81 has tolls that they will find alternate routes, such as I-95, which doesn't solve anything. Now with the railroads there needs to be massive repairs to unused tracks, straightening out of bottleneck areas and dealing the bridges and tunnels that aren't suited to handle vertical freight, but studies have show that investing in the railroads could save millions of tax dollars and be more beneficial for this area.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of the information that is out there dealing with this important decision. I encourage you to look into thisbecause one day you might have to bring a bag of quarters with you on your trip home for break, and who has that kind of money to spareŠhonestly.