Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed fundraising tools for Interstate 81 improvements include the trucking industry shouldering a significant portion of the financial burden.
Northam proposed an increase in truck registration fees, a hike to the road and diesel tax rates and a regional fuel tax as means of generating funds for Virginia’s interstates, including $150 million for I-81. He made the announcement during remarks in Salem on March 28. Salem lies between Roanoke and I-81. A major freight corridor, I-81 runs through Virginia for 325 miles and usually is congested.
Northam presented these funding mechanisms as amendments to legislation that was revised Jan. 31 to omit plans for tolls along I-81. The legislation, adapted from Senate Bill 1716 and House Bill 2718, created the I-81 Corridor Improvement Fund, but did not propose a funding source.