Are dedicated truck tollways a market approach to reducing congestion and making roads safer, or an environmental nightmare?
"With traffic expected to double in 20 years, everyone seems to agree that something needs to be done to make the highway safer. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is considering a plan to transform 325 miles of I-81 into the nation's first toll truckway. The proposal, submitted by a consortium of companies called STAR Solutions, would add four additional truck-only lanes and some general-use lanes at a cost of up to $13 billion.
Doubling the number of trucks will certainly alter this peaceful, rural valley, which runs parallel to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. Local environmentalists are alarmed by the plan to pave thousands of acres of land."
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Thanks to Ashwani Vasishth
FULL STORY: Are Smog-Belching "Truck Tollways" a Congestion Solution?
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