Governor Bob McDonnell is proposing to toll I-95 near the North Carolina border.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) estimates I-95 serves 45% of Virginia’s population. Its briefing material describes I-95 as the “economic backbone of Virginia” and “connect(ing) Virginia to the world’s largest economy.”

VDOT estimates about 70% of travelers on this stretch will be from out-of-state. While requiring non-Virginians to pay more for using our highways is fair, at $4.00 per trip for those Virginians using this I-95 stretch the additional cost could exceed $1,000 per year.

Projected I-95 needs over the next 25 years total $12.1 billion; projected available revenues only $2.5 billion. At an estimated $35-$40 million per year in tolls (or $875 million to $1 billion over 25 years) the gap remains large.