Minnesota Study Shows Wider Interest in Tolling

Minnesota is one of several states that have recently taken initial, preliminary steps to consider tolling as a source of revenue. The story so far is a great example of where more jurisdictions will find themselves—and how the IBTTA community can help—as tolling becomes a more prominent part of the transportation funding toolbox.

To date, the state has had some experience with high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, designed for congestion relief. With highway dollars falling ever farther behind the need to maintain highway infrastructure, the state legislature instructed the Department of Transportation to study tolling as a possible source of new revenue.

The conclusion will come as no surprise to anyone who’s been watching the infrastructure funding debate elsewhere: while tolling can bring the state billions of badly-needed new dollars, it can’t get the whole job done on its own.

"The cost of reconstructing our highway is growing exponentially," Chris Roy of MnDOT’s engineering division told a local TV station last month. "Even though this might be a source of revenue, it will not cover the cost to reconstruct all of our highways."

The study focused on seven roadway segments that could be converted to charge tolls and assumed a flat fee of 7¢ per mile over 30 years, according to local media. Even at that relatively modest scale, it foresaw billions of dollars in new revenue over the study period, including $5 billion (before operating costs) from the I-94 corridor.

But Roy stressed the study was just a first look at what might be possible, not a commitment to action.

"Our study is about existing lanes becoming toll lanes. So, it was taking our existing highway system, and what would we be able to do if we converted them," he said. "Clearly, there’s going to have to be a lot more debate, and policy-makers will have to make a decision about what they want to do next."

He compared the initial "high-level study" to “the general range of quotes you get from an auto mechanic after you describe the noise it's making,” KARE 11 reports, in contrast to a more detailed, time-consuming, and costly feasibility study.

Minnesota’s experience so far isn’t a fully-baked tolling success story—not yet. But as an essential, incremental step, it’s something to celebrate for the wider industry, and for anyone who’s serious about crafting a complete, end-to-end solution to the country’s highway infrastructure funding crisis.

What Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana, and other states should remember—and the nation’s biggest turnpikes and tolling authorities should also keep in mind—is that it has to start somewhere, and we’ve all been here. State transportation departments and other agencies should be diligent about gathering the evidence on tolling and other funding options, and following that evidence wherever it leads. Legislators should pay close attention to the pros and cons of any funding or financing plan, all while keeping an eye on the long-term prize of reliable, safe mobility.

And this is where the tolling community can and should be ready to step up.

We’ve always said IBTTA is a community of professional peers, where anyone can turn to their colleagues with questions, issues, or challenges in need of a solution. At the association’s workshops, Executive Director and CEO Patrick Jones unfailingly urges more experienced participants to look out for first-timers and welcome them to the IBTTA family.

If the news from Minnesota, Iowa, and Louisiana is any indication, the family is in for a growth spurt. A first step for the officials who are looking at tolling options for those jurisdictions would be to get their hands on the program for IBTTA’s 2018 conferences and get set for several rounds of intensive learning and networking.

Visit the IBTTA website today for a full list of upcoming educational conferences and workshops in 2018.