Missouri Lawmakers Hate Tolls

"Missouri lawmakers are putting the brakes on any talk of transforming all or parts of Interstate 70 into a toll road," reports Kurt Erickson. An amendment attached to the budget proposal moving through the state's General Assembly bars the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) from even studying the idea.

The legislation wouldn't just stop at I-70. The amendment reads: "No funds shall be used for any costs associated with the tolling of interstate highways."

The legislation responds to news reported by a recent article by Leah Thorsen, which revealed that MoDOT officials are considering tolling as a way to fill a funding gap for repairs to I-70.

The remainder of Erickson's coverage details the political interests behind the proposed tolling prohibition, as well as the transportation funding regime in the state. The state's 17-cents per gallon gas tax "is among the lowest in the nation," writes Erickson, but efforts to raise the tax by six cents failed in the House last year.