Converting free roads to toll roads

I've argued several times for tolling I-35 through Austin to relieve congestion, lowering the tolls on SH 130 if necessary.  I'd never bothered to check whether the feds would permit it, though.

Apparently, they might. I glean this from a Federal Highway Administration press release disclosing that it has rejected Pennsylvania's application to toll parts of I-80.  According to the FHA official, “Tolling interstates is a viable option for many states to fund highway improvements or to improve performance conditions.”  "Tolling . . . to Improve performance conditions" sounds like congestion pricing to me.  (Pennsylvania didn't satisfy the federal standard, but a jurisdiction with a reasonable pricing scheme presumably could.)

If it's legal to toll I-35, all that's stopping us is the political will to do so.  No problem, right?

(h/t Ben Wear)

Update:  This is a bit more authoritative -- the Federal Highway Administration has apparently been paying to states to experiment with congestion pricing.  The FHA has even published a tool for estimating the impact of congestion pricing on urban highways.

The internet is cool.

Related posts:

They're tolling the wrong road (Jan. 22, 2007)

The political calculus of congestion pricing (March 6, 2007)

If Okies can do it . . . (May 17, 2008)

One other point on rail (Sept. 4, 2008)