The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is studying various improvement projects for I-81, as required by the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One of the projects is the STAR plan, proposed by a group of road builders, to add tolled truck lanes to I-81, expanding the highway to eight to 12 lanes in all. The $13.6 billion project would be the most expensive in state history.

The STAR plan (called “Truck Lanes”) gets the worst results – in terms of cost and effectiveness – of all of the options for I-81 examined in VDOT’s preliminary draft Environmental Impact Study. The draft will not be released officially until fall 2005, as VDOT studies other I-81 scenarios. Despite VDOT’s results, STAR supporters continue to seek federal funds for the truck lanes project on I-81 in Virginia.

Congress Could Commit Virginia to Massive STAR Truckway
STAR needs $1.6 billion of Virginia’s federal transportation allocation to help pay for its truck toll lane project. The US Senate did not include an earmark for truck lanes in the federal highway bill approved May 18. However, a House version of the bill does fund a dedicated truck lane program. Now a Congressional conference committee must negotiate the difference between the chambers in both funding and program elements.

Virginia is the only state (of three) still eligible for federal funds for dedicated truck lanes. Therefore, if such funds are approved in the federal highway spending bill, it could determine the future of the I-81 corridor well before VDOT finishes its required environmental studies, despite serious flaws in the STAR proposal and strong opposition in the Shenandoah Valley.

VDOT Study Shows Poor Performance of I-81 Truck Lanes
VDOT studied a total of 16 options for I-81 in its screening process, then narrowed that list down to four options for further study. These are: Truck Lanes, Eight Lanes with rail corridor improvements, Eight Lanes with no rail improvements, and a No Build Option. Tolls on both cars and trucks were considered in the study of every option except No Build.

Some highlights of how various options performed in VDOT’s preliminary draft EIS statement:

1) “The Separated Truck Lane Concept did not sufficiently increase capacity or reduce demand as indicated by the high number of deficient mainline miles for automobiles in the general purpose lanes. However, based on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and VDOT policy, this concept will be carried forward.” (preliminary draft EIS, page 3-22)

2) Truck Lanes resulted in the most lanes with traffic congestion. Cars would drive in “deficient” (congested) lanes for 488 of 650 miles, while trucks would flow freely in truck-only lanes. Even then, up to 50 percent of all trucks would STILL travel in the combined car/truck lanes, which is about as much truck traffic as drivers currently experience on I-81.

3) Truck Lanes create more congestion for cars than any other I-81 build option. For example, the Eight Lanes with rail corridor improvements performed far better than the Truck Lanes option with its total build-out of eight to 12 lanes throughout the Shenandoah Valley.

4) Of the four options selected by VDOT for further study in the EIS process, Truck Lanes cost the most – $8.2 billion for construction alone and a total of $13.6 with financing. Eight Lanes with rail improvements costs $6.7 billion and Eight Lanes with no rail costs $5.7 billion.

5) VDOT is no longer studying targeted safety improvements to I-81 or adding one lane in each direction, which state and local officials support the most. (see below)
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6) In summarizing the various alternatives it studied, the VDOT report states that “the no toll scenarios [of either road widening with or without rail improvements] provide the best balance between deficient and excess miles of interstate.” (preliminary draft EIS, page 3-57)

Truck Lanes Require Tolls for All, Diverts Traffic, Conflicts with State Policymakers
The Truck Lanes option requires both cars and trucks to pay tolls to fund the massive expansion, according to the VDOT study. Proposed car tolls range from 8 cents per mile, or $26 for a trip the full length of I-81, to 14 cents per mile, or $45 for a full-length trip. The lower toll would divert traffic to other roads, such as Route 11, while the higher toll would divert twice as much traffic, according to the VDOT study.

Language in the pending federal highway funding bill would permit car tolls on I-81, which conflicts with state policymakers. More than a dozen Virginia delegates and senators from the Shenandoah Valley are opposed to car tolls on I-81, support no more than one new lane in each direction and support a bill sponsored by Sen. Emmett Hanger to order VDOT to halt negotiations with STAR on the truck lanes option.

VDOT Study Drops Most Sensible Option
As it narrowed the list of I-81 options to just four, the draft EIS shows that VDOT dropped the most cost effective option with the lowest impact on the Shenandoah Valley’s communities, economy and environment. This is the program of targeted safety improvements that VDOT studied first in 1997-98 and has been implementing ever since. This option performed better than Truck Lanes in the draft EIS and directly addresses identified safety problems. Targeted improvements include better entrance and exit ramps, new truck climbing lanes at key locations, wider shoulders, and adding a lane each way to the current highway. The VDOT report states that these improvements would reduce potential for 78 percent of all accidents.

Rail Solutions Could Do Even Better
The Eight Lanes with rail improvements option performed better than Truck Lanes, but rail would perform even better if the study was not restricted by VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The agencies noted that the best economies of rail and rail/truck transport are realized on trips of at least 500 miles. But the agencies chose not to allow study of joint rail upgrades with neighboring states in designing the EIS for I-81. At the same time, they appear not to have considered higher fuel prices in the coming decades. Both factors could divert more freight to rail, reducing truck traffic and improving road safety on I-81.

Virginians deserve less costly and less destructive options for I-81

We deserve better information from VDOT about the real impacts.

We deserve a different future than 8 to 12 lanes dominated by truck traffic.

See Before & After Photos

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