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September 21, 2005 8:15 AM, EDT

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proposal by a former Virginia governor that would require motorists who use the state’s interstate highways to pay tolls via open-road tolling at 38 locations has drawn criticism from the trucking industry and lawmakers.

The plan would require passage by the state’s General Assembly, in addition to approval by Congress, said Va. Del. Leo Wardrup (R).

“I don’t know how viable the proposal is,” Wardrup told Transport Topics. “We can’t toll interstates unilaterally at the state level.”

The trucking industry opposes tolls because they are a double form of taxation and because they also can pose a safety hazard, said Dale Bennett, executive vice president of the Virginia Trucking Association.

For the full story, see the Sept. 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.