WyDOT: $116 is I-80 toll threshold for trucks

Some participants in a meeting Tuesday in Cheyenne spoke against tolls on I-80, including Larry Johnson, representing the Nebraska Trucking Association, and a Cheyenne resident, John Fafoutakis. “This proposal will put independent truckers out of business,” Fafoutakis said.

The Associated Press

6/17/2009

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Transportation says commercial truck drivers and trucking companies would be willing to pay as much as $116 to use Interstate 80 to cross southern Wyoming.

Any toll higher than that would cause truckers to choose other routes.

About 40 people attended a public meeting on I-80 tolls in Cheyenne on Tuesday. WyDOT has been holding a series of public meetings around the state on the toll proposal.

Upcoming meetings were scheduled in Rawlins, Rock Springs and Evanston.

Patrick Collins, who is overseeing the toll proposal for the state, said Denver-based consultant Parsons Brinkerhoff used a large database of trucks’ origins and destinations to determine how much truckers could be charged before they chose to take other routes.

The problem is that traffic — heavy trucks especially — is causing wear and tear to the highway and the federal government isn’t providing enough funding for maintenance and repairs.

But some participants in Tuesday’s meeting spoke against tolls on I-80. They included Larry Johnson, representing the Nebraska Trucking Association, and a Cheyenne resident, John Fafoutakis.

“This proposal will put independent truckers out of business,” Fafoutakis said.

Truckers would need to charge higher transportation costs to make up for the toll fees, Fafoutakis said.

Keith Rounds, a former WyDOT employee who now is an independent trucker, asked if the toll would ever be removed after the state raises a certain amount. Consultant Nick Amrehein said the toll could be dropped by 75 percent once bonds for improving the interstate have been paid off.

Consultants estimate that building a six-lane road to provide separate lanes for trucks would cost $3 billion to $4 billion.

Kevin Jones of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at kevinj@thetrucker.com.

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