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Mar 27, 2008 1:34 pm US/Mountain
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Senate Committee Backs $5 Toll For I-70
DENVER (AP) ―
A Senate committee backed one proposal to charge a toll on Interstate 70 but rejected another more experimental proposal aimed at encouraging car pooling during a hearing Thursday.
The surviving measure (Senate Bill 213) would allow drivers to be charged up to $5 each way on a 43-mile stretch east of the Eisenhower Tunnel to finance expanding the highway.
It still faces an uphill climb because of opposition from residents of mountain communities, who say they were left out of the discussion. Some lawmakers who voted for the bill say they could change their minds as the bill moves ahead and they learn more.
The bill was sent to the appropriations committee.
The Senate Transportation Committee voted 5-2 to kill a proposal to charge a toll during peak travel times to reduce congestion. Cars with three or more people would have been exempt. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said it was too early to set exact figures for the toll, which he said made it harder to pass. Some of the money would have been used to add bus service.
The interstate is Colorado's main east-west corridor and route to the state's ski areas.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)