In order to do pretty much anything in government, you have to have research performed to look at all the relevant facts and to then have that research presented in a report that has a conclusion and a recommendation. After reading State not pursuing I-80 tollways, despite being financially feasible, all I can think about is if you are going to have a study performed and pay people to do that study, why in the hell would you not listen to their conclusions?
Oh, I know! I know! When FEAR dictates how to govern. Take Kapucian's quote below at face value
Sen. Tim Kapucian, R-Keystone, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said another challenge in Iowa is that tolls often motivate motorists to take alternative routes. In Iowa, when you can enter and exit the interstate at several locations across the state, those detours could force congestion onto back roads, he said.
Fear should not guide your actions as an elected official! More disappointment follows:
According to the study, revenue generated from 11 tolls, from Council Bluffs to the Quad Cities, would be enough to fund a nearly $4 billion six-lane widening and modernization of rural I-80 across the state, if all lanes were tolled. Those tolls would also fund continued operations and maintenance of the 248 miles of interstate.
“No additional public funding would likely be required,” the report states.
Toll rates would be 8 cents per mile for passenger vehicles and 24 cents per mile for trucks, with an annual 2 percent increase in toll rates to account for inflation, the report states.
According to the report, the revenue from those tolls would cover the five-year widening project, proposed for 2022 to 2026.
However, Lowe said the roughly $3.6 billion upfront cost — and potential debt financing that goes with it — of the tollway project goes against Iowa’s “pay as you go” mentality. In addition, I-80 is only congested in certain areas, which means widening the interstate isn’t a current need across the entire state.
“From a planning side, we don’t need 6 lanes by 2027,” Lowe said.
Lowe, you really don't know how to read. There's a conclusion in the report government paid for, written by experts, but damn! Lowe can't his head out of his ass and accept what the experts tell him. How does he know this? Is he suddenly more of an expert than the experts who wrote the research?!? Liberals ought to run ads against Republicans that say, "Look at the government wasting money, paying $XX.XX dollars for experts to research toll roads, receiving the recommendation to do it, even when financially feasible, but no, they are stupid politicians."
More on the subject:
State leaders pump brakes on I-80 toll road proposal
Iowa officials are giving the cold shoulder to a proposal to begin charging fees to pay for road improvements along Interstate 80. Despite a new report by the Iowa Department of Transportation saying it would be "financially feasible" to set up 11 toll booths across the state to fund $3.8 billion in rebuilding and widening costs, Gov. Kim Reynolds told the Des Moines Register Iowans were not interested in tolls. Under the proposal, cars would be charged eight cents a mile and trucks 24 cents a mile to rebuild a 248-mile stretch across rural Iowa over a five-year period. Ms. Reynolds' comments were echoed by Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe, who said tolls were "not a good fit for a rural, farm to market state like Iowa." The toll road scheme is also opposed by groups like the Iowa Motor Truck Association, which is pushing fees on gasoline and diesel to pay for the improvements.
Sigh. Every time Iowa tries to shed its "we're farmland only" impression, Iowans use it to justify their opposition to some proposal.
Editor's Note: Perhaps not those exact words should be used in the Liberal ad campaign.
No comments:
Post a Comment