Tolls on I-80

The thought of adding tolls on Interstate 80 personally makes me cringe.  If you haven’t heard already Act 44 was passed in July 2007 which gave the ok to put tolls on 80.  Living in the Poconos I-80 is a HUGE part of the transportation flow – for residents who hop on 80 to avoid the slower back roads, for tourists visiting the area, and for commuters that commute to New York, New Jersey and even Philadelphia.  Adding tolls would cause a number of problems – increased traffic on the back roads due to people avoiding the tolls, a possible dip in tourism, with gas prices constantly getting higher for the weekly tourists tolls add on that much more cost to their trip, and to commuters who already are stretched due to gas prices it would be yet another daily expense that cuts into their bottom line.

Many commuters try to find local jobs once they’ve been living in the Poconos for a bit – it saves travel time and money and is definitely a smart option.  The issue is that the average salary and availability of work in the Poconos doesn’t hold a candle to New York City and other popular locations that Pocono commuters work.  Adding tolls makes it that much more difficult for people that want to live in the Poconos and commute to do so. 

The only glimpse of hope is that the federal government has not yet given its approval, it actually denied it back in December due to lack of details.  Pocono commuters and residents putting up a fuss but so are businesses and truckers – businesses are concerned that they’re going to need to increase their prices to make up for additional freight fees.

Whether it gets approved or not I think the bigger concern is will it actually work and do what it is suppose to?  The casinos in Pennsylvania were suppose to make huge changes – have they?  Pocono residents haven’t seen any reduction in property taxes, it might take awhile but will it ever happen?  Adding tolls to I-80 and making it that much more expensive to live and work in and out of the Poconos makes it that much less appealing to live here as a resident.

My hope is that the big Pocono changes and potential changes increase the area as a whole rather then turn it into a “little New York” or “little Philadelphia”.  The railroad system – has the potential to reduce traffic on the roads, help commuters, and bring in additional tourists.  It also has the potential to increase crime and congestion.  I-80 has the potential to assist with fixing our roads – it also has the potential to drive away commuters, tourists and even residents.  The constant building of new stores – has the potential to bring additional employment and tourist to the area and provide residents with a wider variety of options.  It also has the potential to slowly wipe out the beautiful landscape of the Poconos – the changes to Route 611 in the past 5 years are a perfect example.

The Poconos is a beautiful place to live, work and visit.  Change is inevitable and has to be embraced as a part of life and changing times.  Without a doubt the Poconos is expanding and changing daily – I personally would like to see more effort put into restoring some of the businesses that made the Poconos what it is today versus starting fresh – but either way when I stand on my deck at the end of a long day and see nothing but trees and a beautiful sunset I’m reminded of what it is that truly makes the Poconos a special place to live.