I-80 tolls the best of ideas ... or the worst

Eric Heyl on Tolling I-80 in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The most significant problem with this proposal -- and it is a particularly nagging one -- is that tolling the road might not be legal.

The Federal Highway Administration has to sign off on the plan, and there is no indication yet that it will do so. ...

Given the tolling plan's tenuous status, you probably are wondering why the proposal wasn't more carefully studied before it was enacted. Turns out it was -- by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. ...

"Based on the long timetable to realize benefits, the high cost of converting the road to toll and the fact that the financial break-even point is decades away, it is recommended that converting I-80 to a toll road not be pursued at this time." the study concluded. ...

According to PennDOT, tolling I-80 is a terrible idea. According to the Turnpike Commission, tolling I-80 is a wonderful idea. ... Which of the transportation agencies is wrong?