DOTD secretary says state must consider tolls

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Oct 5, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Tolls should be one of the options when the state builds new roads, Louisiana’s transportation chief said.

“Tolls need to be looked at,” said William Ankner, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development.

“We need to look at how we are going to finance our transportation system in this state,” Ankner said.

“And the gas tax is not a viable way of financing transportation here or nationally,” he added during a 45-minute interview.

Ankner stopped short of suggesting tolls as a financing option now for any specific road or bridge project.

However, he said, tolls belong on the list of options amid an environment of high gasoline prices, reduced revenue from the state gasoline tax and major questions about the future level of federal highway aid.

Ankner said the issue has been highly controversial in Louisiana, especially when it surfaced two years ago.

Former state Transportation Secretary Johnny Bradberry set off a political firestorm in 2006 when he filed a request with federal officials to impose tolls on Interstate 10 and Interstate 12. Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco quickly ruled out the proposal amid heavy criticism of the idea.

Ankner, who took the job seven months ago, said he was familiar with that episode.

But he said, in that case, tolls were discussed “across the board” as opposed to using them as a way to help finance certain new projects.

Using tolls to help build popular new roads may present “more of an opportunity” to help come up with a financing package, he said.

Tolls are one of the components in plans for a proposed $4 billion loop around Baton Rouge. That revenue is supposed to account for half or more of the costs, one of the engineers involved in the planning said.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth, said he has heard that tolls were one of the financing tools under review in the state transportation department.