Evening star., 1953-12-27
Virginia Counci.
Gives Support
To Toll Roads
Legislative Advisers
Split; Gos Tox
Increase Beaten
Bv ,he Associates, p,...

AOu1lCn gave CdublOuS uOQ Oh
approval today to construction
OF toll highways to help solve the
c ON m n wealth's ,burgeoning
State traffic problems.
But the council rejected a
recommendation of one of its
study committees that the State
gasoline tax be increased from
six to seven cents to provide an
additional SO million in yearly
road revenue.
The council, whose task it is
to make recommendations to the
General Assembly, submitted its
findings on traffic needs in a
68-page report. The full report
did not win the approval of all
10 council members. some of
whom disagreed on several
points.
Lively Debate Expected.
This fact was weathervane
for the hot discussion which is
likely when the legislature con-
siderers the road problems at
its 1854 session beginning next
month.
The council did not go over
board for toll roads. Rather, il
took the conservative view they
should be restricted to highly
congested areas and constructed
only after approval of the State
Highway Department.
Two council members refused
to go along with the toll road
proposal. Retiring Delegate Paul
Crockett Of Yorktown thought
it ''unwiSe and improper" for
the State to construct and
maintain any kind or type of toll
highway or turnpike"
| State Senator Mosby G. Per-
row of Lynchburg declined tc
take a stand.
A third member, Delegate w
H. Irvine of Campbell County
disSented from the provision that
turnpikes be for Limited use'
only and indicted he felt they
should be of greater scope.
Private Turnpikes Opposed.
Coincident with the toll road
Endorsement. the council sug.
gested laws" which permit private
solete laws" which permit private
firms to build turnpikes.
Two such firms were formed
last year with announced plans
to build north-south turnpike
from Washington to the North
Carolina line and another across
Southwest Virginia linking West
Virginia and North Carolina.
The plans. however, ran afoul
Of a Highway Department deci-
sion not to accept stock in the
firms, thus denying them certain
tax exemptions.
In its report. the council said
any toll roads Should be built
maintained and operated by pub
lie authorities created by the
State. q
IF the toll road is to fit into
the overall highway system of
the State, it should be a planned
integral part of that system. It's
effect upon existing roads should
constantly be borne in mind and
it should eventually become a
free highway"
! Under any circumstances, ii
said, leach project should be
approved by the highway COM
mission.".'
City Inclusion Backed.
The council also suggested re-
moval of the prohibition against
construction Of turnpikes within
the corporate limits of cities,
pointing out that the worst traf-
fic congestion is usually in the
area of a city.
The costliness of toll roads
with their clover-leaf intersec-
tions and overpasses, was pointed
to as sufficient evidence to indi-
cate turnpikes are mot a pana-
cea for all our highway ills"
The study committee, or
which the councils report was
based, recommended increasing
the gasoline tax to seven cents
But the council split five-to-five
on the proposal, thus ruling ii
out.
One council member attributed
the defeat of the proposal to pre-
mature publicity which disclosed
several months ago that the
study committee would recon-
mend the one-cent boost. After
ward, a number of legislators
announced their diSapproval of
any increase.
During the campaign for Gov
ernor, both major candidates
came out against an increase
Republican Ted Dalton proposed
a $1OO million bond plan instead
Thomas B. Stanley, the victor
ious Democratic candidate, de-
nounced the bond plan and ex-
pressed the belief the Federal
Government would discard its
2-cent gasoline tax, in which
case Virginia could take over the
levy.
A few days ago, however, STAN
ley said he doubted the Federal
tax would be lifted any time soon,
The report did not indorSe any
specific toll road project, but
pointed out that the highway de-
partment had recently made sur
veys in the States most con-
geSted regions - Alexandria Ar
lington and United States ! be-
tween Richmond and Petersburg.
A firm of engineering consult
ants recommended $57 million
turnpike linking Richmond and
Petersburg, but declared that a
toll road was not the solution
in the Alexandria Arlington area.
South Baltimore Leader
In eunnnrf Mahnnnv