I-80/94, the Borman Expressway, seen from above as it travels through Lake Station and Gary. Staff file photo by Kae Wilk
A proposal to exempt Lake and Porter counties from the potential onslaught of new highway tolls authorized by House Bill 1461 was defeated Thursday in the House Ways and Means Committee.
State Rep. Mike Andrade, D-Munster, suggested the exemption since he said Region motorists already are hit with tolls when crossing the Cline Avenue Bridge in Lake County and traveling the Indiana Toll Road through both counties.
He said it's not fair to maybe sock Lake and Porter County residents with even more tolls on Interstate 94 when Northwest Indiana already contributes more than its fair share in vehicle excise taxes, gasoline taxes and other road-related revenue to the state.
State Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, the sponsor of the legislation, objected to the exemption — even after Andrade offered to make an on-the-fly revision by also exempting Pressel's LaPorte County.
Pressel said the goal of his road funding plan is to give the governor a number of tools he can use, or not, to try to meet the need for new and rebuilt roads and bridges throughout the state.
"We're not doing anything except opening up that toolbox," Pressel said. "But if we're going to put all these tools on the table, I don't think anybody should be exempt from it."
State Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, agreed. He wondered if Interstate 94 might be ideal for tolling since the overwhelming majority of the traffic is out-of-state semi-trailers whose drivers don't typically stop to purchase fuel or anything else in Indiana, and basically pay nothing for traveling the 45-mile stretch of the highway that runs through the state.
Ultimately, the Republican-led committee defeated Andrade's proposal on a voice vote that avoided putting individual committee members on the record.
The panel then voted 14-9 to advance the legislation, with a single change concerning Fort Wayne bridge projects, to the full House for a decision next week on advancing it to the Senate.
As it now stands, the measure would allow the Indiana Department of Transportation, with the consent of Republican Gov. Mike Braun, to seek federal approval to impose tolls on every interstate highway in the state.
That includes Interstate 80, Interstate 94 and Interstate 65 in Northwest Indiana because the plan eliminates a current provision in state law preventing the initial toll from being placed on interstate highways located within 75 miles of the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 90).
The measure also would permit tolls to be collected for the use of U.S. highways and state routes with the approval of the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
In addition, it would require counties and municipalities to impose a wheel tax or surtax in order to qualify for $200 million in annual Community Crossings grants from the state.
A proposal to give counties the option of assessing a new tax on home deliveries from retailers also was rejected by the panel.
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