I-95 Tolls in Virginia (VA) Win Federal Approval

9/21/2011
Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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I-95 Tolls in Virginia (VA) Win Federal Approval

The idea of tolls appearing on Virginia's busy and often dangerous I-95 has moved a step closer after Virginia Gov, Bob McDonnell announced preliminary federal approval of the plan. The move was revealed in a September 14, 2011, letter in which Federal Highway Administration Administrator Victor Mendez granted "conditional provisional approval" for the tolls proposal, the Daily Press reported.

The Virginia Department of Transportation says I-95 tolls could generate $250 million over the first 5 years and more than $50 million annually in the years after. These revenues would likely be used to help fund capacity expansions and other safety improvements, as well as pavement and structure reconstruction and rehabilitation throughout the corridor, the statement said.

Tolls are widely used across the country. See this video about electronic tolls in Florida (FL).

As experienced Virginia (VA) accident injury attorneys, my colleagues and I welcome any moves that would improve safety on I-95. The interstate has seen a number of harrowing crashes in recent years, including a bus crash in Caroline County, VA, in June 2011 that killed four passengers and injured 50 people.

In April 2010, a dump truck that was being driven recklessly hit 12 cars on I-95 in Prince William County, VA, injuring five people. Fortunately, the victims all survived their injuries. A mother and her daughter who were heading to Virginia Beach, VA in June 2010 were not so lucky. They were killed in a car wreck on I-95.

The idea of tolls on I-95 and I-81 was first raised by the Virginia governor in 2010. There's little dispute about the need for safety improvements. From the North Carolina (NC) border to Fredericksburg in Virginia, more than $600 million is needed to fund safety improvement projects, according to USA Today. Some of these projects include repaving roads and filling potholes. But we believe it's essential that money raised from tolling goes to where it's really needed -- projects to improve safety on these dangerous interstates.

DM

Category: Car Accident Lawyers & Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

Labels: accident Accidents approval Attorney bus Cooper Crash danger Governor I-95 injury McDonnell personal projects revenues safety tolls VA Virginia Wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia Beach, VA-based injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and we have handled thousands of car accident, truck wreck, and motorcycle crash cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself.

We've handled car accident cases throughout Virginia including Richmond, Fairfax, Alexandria, and the Hampton Roads region including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Suffolk.

Our primary office is in Virginia Beach at the intersection of Diamond Springs Road and Northampton Boulevard. We also have an office on Eaton Street in Hampton. All of our accident injury attorneys were raised in Virginia and have deep roots with the community.

Our Virginia injury law firm has been recognized as one of the best injury law firms in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report since 2010. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed on the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Rick and Jim were named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms.

We also offer free special reports on distracted driving and the Best Guide to Car Accident Injuries in Virginia.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us at 1-800-752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you shortly.

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I-95 Tolls in Virginia (VA) Win Federal Approval

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