Rep. Ellmers Opposes I-95 Tolling; Urges Impact Study

In a letter to Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Rep. Ellmers said paying for I-95 construction through a highway tax like tolls would devastate small businesses along the I-95 corridor.
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U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) last week voiced strong opposition to North Carolina's plans to toll Interstate-95 and urged the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to study the impact a new highway tax would have on the state's businesses and residents. 

In a letter to Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, Rep. Ellmers said paying for I-95 construction through a highway tax like tolls would devastate small businesses along the I-95 corridor. The proposal would create a number of "perverse incentives," she said, and cause many truck and car drivers to avoid tolls by using alternative routes.

Rep. Ellmers said by NCDOT's own estimates, at least 30 percent of I-95 traffic through the state would bypass the tolls. The loss of income to businesses dependent on I-95 traffic, such as restaurants, truckstops and gas stations, could lead to job losses and business closures.

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