If Obama has his Way, It might become Cheaper to Fly/Train/Bus rather than Drive Somewhere

Ever driven down I-95 in Maryland, or the New Jersey Turnpike, and parted ways with $10, $20 in tolls? 

If the Obama administration has its way, highways across the country could someday be that way. 

In a major shift for how governments fund transportation projects, the administration wants to let states charge tolls on interstate highways. A federal ban currently bars states from doing so in most places, but the latest White House push could change that.

I never went for this EZ PASS .. It will make

it easier for them now, won't it??

Tucked into the GROW AMERICA Act, the White House's $302 billion transportation bill, is a toll provision that calls for eliminating “the prohibition on tolling existing free Interstate highways, subject to the approval of the Secretary, for purposes of reconstruction." 

It also allows states more flexibility to use toll revenue for repairs "on all components of their highway systems."

The proposal reflects the growing need for new sources of funding to maintain the nation's aging transportation infrastructure. But it's also a slippery slope -- any driver knows that once a toll is in place, they become a handy tool for milking motorists. Tolls, for instance, just increased on I-95 and elsewhere in Maryland last year. 

Following the Tuesday announcement, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters that the tolls would be a state-by-state decision, and it would require DOT approval.

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