Wyoming moves to toll I-80 - studies, public outreach

Wyoming is moving to toll I-80, the only interstate which spans the state from east to west. Parsons Brinckerhoff were recently asked by Wyoming DOT (WYDOT) to continue their engineering and toll studies. Public meetings are scheduled next week (Jun 15 to 19) in five communities along the I-80 corridor, which is generally along the southern section of the state. Tolls are being proposed to fund maintenance and upgrade of the road which extends almost 650km (403 miles) across the state and is lightly trafficked by national standards - about 13k/vehicles/day typically though fully half are heavy trucks - some doubles and triple trailers as well as more standard tractor trailers.

A 123 page PB feasibility study is the basis for the tolling proposal and covers the highway from the eastern border with Nebraska to the western border with Utah. PB estimates the optimum toll across the state at $116 for trucks and $9.50 for cars, generating $171m from trucks and $12m/yr from cars for a total toll revenue of $183m/yr based on 2010 traffic numbers.

This allows for substantial diversion  - about 45% - of traffic, mostly to I-70 and also a bit north to I-90 and for shorter trips to rural roads, assuming no special restrictions.

There is some discussion of tolls on I-70 especially in Missouri. If tolls were implemented on I-70 that would reduce the diversion from I-80 in Wyoming. It might also move some freight from truck to rail.

I-76/I-70 through Colorado is the most direct route between Chicago and Los Angeles, a huge freight corridor, but I-80 through Wyoming to Salt Lake City and I-15 is a lower elevation crossing of the Rocky Mountains and less congested so it makes for better speeds. Salt Lake City close by the western end of I-80 in Wyoming is the junction for routes to all major west coast population centers and ports - Seattle WA on I-84/I-82, Portland OR on I-84, Oakland CA on I-80, Los Angeles and San Diego CA via I-15.

Passenger car traffic on WY/I-80 is small and growing moderately (1.8%/yr), while truck traffic - at least until the present financial crisis - was growing fast (av 3%/yr). With daily 2007 traffic 6.7k cars, 6.5k trucks, PB projects toll-free traffic 2017 as 8.1k cars, 8.7k trucks and 2037 11.7k cars, 15.7k trucks. They say this is based on an FHWA Freight Analysis Forecast model.

see table nearby

Net tolls of $169m in 2011 support $3 billion capitalization

The study suggests a base case with tolls in 2011 trucks $185m and cars $12m for total $197m/yr against which toll systems and collection costs would be $13m and roadway operations and maintenance $28m, leaving $169m/yr to service capital. PB say with that net revenue stream the road could support capital of about $3b.

That number is much the same regardless of what's built by way of improvement.

The study considers:

1) maintaining the present 2+2 lanes (including some 3rd climbing lanes) mixed traffic, no capital cost for capacity

2) third laning with the inside lanes cars-only (Ohio Turnpike model) at capital cost of $2.8b for extra pavement

3) 2/2/2/2 lanes with cars on the outer roadways and trucks in the inner (Trans Texas Corridor model) at capital cost of $7b

COMMENT: this is a truck route with a few cars on it also. So for some years the volumes make it difficult to justify more than 2 lanes each direction except in climbing sections. Our sense is the best model is the Pennsylvania Turnpike East-West Mainline (I-76) where they third lane whenever they do a complete rebuild of pavement from bare ground or replace bridges - not so much for volume of traffic as for longer pavement life, safety and continuity of traffic through lane closures.

The Feds should welcome the toll plan as a user pays method of funding the upkeep and improvement of an important segment of the national interstate network - though whether they will do what they should remains to be seen. Trucker lobbies are likely to fight it.

BACKGROUND: I-80 - 4666km (2903mi) long, the second longest interstate I-80 starts at the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) approach to the George Washington Bridge in Leonia NJ and ends in downtown San Francisco, passing through north central Pennsylvania, northern Ohio (as the Ohio Turnpike), northern Indiana (as Indiana Toll Road), through the southern part of the Chicago metro area,  Des Moines Iowa, Omaha Nebraska, Cheyenne Wyoming, Salt Lake City Utah, Reno Nevada, Sacramento and San Francisco California.

It is cosigned with I-90 between the Cleveland area and Chicago.

I-80 is tolled at the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania and across virtually all of Ohio and all of Indiana, and at the Carquinez and San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridges in the Bay area. In Pennslyvania state law provides for the tolling of I-80  by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission at up to eleven points but the state has not yet managed to get the necessary federal permits.

THE STATE: Wyoming is the 10th largest state in land area (251k km2, 97k sq mi) and the smallest in population  (495k pop).  Even Rhode Island, a Boston suburb, has more people than Wyoming. It is the second highest state after Colorado with a  mean elevation of 2040m (6700ft), the western portion being Rocky Mountains and the eastern part high plains country. It is dry, not quite desert but close - average rainfall only 330mm (13in) yearly.

Wyoming is the largest coal producing state, big in cattle (which number three times the human population) and recreation/tourism - Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-06-12