Sabiston was one of the local officials who met with other officials from the eight counties the highway travels through.
While precise data will be collected, Sabiston believes the committee will come out against the tolling because people along the corridor are concerned about the issue and the affect it may have.
“We’re going to make sure the right people are contacted,” Sabiston said. “We’re going to go fact finding.”
The committee has already learned much about what he describes as a complicated issue, especially as the group tries to learn why 95 is the only interstate in the state being considered for tolling.
It concerns the city manager that statements show if I-95 were tolled there would still be a deficit in interstate maintenance funds. “If they are going to toll it would make sense to toll all. Why are they punishing one corridor?”
Virginia is already ahead of North Carolina in its efforts to toll I-95. In North Carolina, the law will have to change. “That’s an important issue,” Sabiston said. “It has to be approved by the General Assembly.”
Rough state Department of Transportation figures say 20 percent of traffic will avoid toll roads and officials in the eight North Carolina counties will have to determine what affect that will have. Sabiston doesn’t think secondary roads in the area can handle that traffic.
Another question the officials want to determine is why the federal government is not more involved in the funding. “It doesn’t make sense. You’ve got three different situations in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Why can’t the U.S. Department of Transportation come up with a system that works for everybody?”
What the local officials are learning is that when the interstate system was constructed the federal government never had a solid plan for funding future improvements or constructing alternate transportation systems, the city manager said.
On August 16, an Interstate 95 Corridor workshop will be held at Halifax Community College for citizens in Halifax and Northampton counties. That meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
North Carolina has not reached a decision on whether it will toll Interstate 95 but is studying how to fund badly needed improvements, state Department of Transportation officials told the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce in June.
To make those improvements to the state’s 182 miles of interstate will take $5 billion. The only thing that is clear is tolling at the borders is not a great idea and if North Carolina does get permission it would likely be automated toll equipment spaced 20 miles apart that could generate $260 million to $270 million a year.
If federal authorities agreed to allow North Carolina to toll, there is the potential it could happen in 2012-2013 but would probably be more like 2014-2016.
North Carolina last year began a two-year study to evaluate the needs of the 182-mile corridor from Virginia to South Carolina, define and prioritize necessary improvements, and identify ways to fund those improvements. Tolling is among the options under consideration. The study considers tolling at both borders and points between, and will consider through-state traffic, as well as local-only usage.
For more information about the North Carolina I-95 study, visit www.driving95.com.