Wyoming Lawmakers Moving Forward With I-80 Toll Plans

State legislators in Wyoming have put into writing the tolling proposal for Interstate 80 that they have been talking about for some two years.

On Feb. 10 the Senate Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Committee voted 4-1 for a bill it sponsored to create a tolling mechanism for the highway, a critical freight route that links the western states with the rest of the country.

“The tolled configuration will allow Interstate 80 to be maintained and to be operated in a way that will reduce increasing traffic congestion, delays, hazards, injuries and fatalities,” the bill said.

The full legislature would have to adopt the bill for the state to proceed, and the federal government must ultimately approve any tolling plans for interstates.

State officials have complained that the highway is deteriorating and that they no longer have the money to maintain it properly. According to state transportation officials, the overwhelming bulk of vehicles who use the highway are not driven by state residents.