Interstate 81's Fading Star

The highway bill passed yesterday by Congress didn't give supporters of adding truck-only lanes to 325 miles of Interstate 81 in Virginia quite the financial boost they'd hoped for. Instead of $800 million for the project the bill contains just $100 million - and that money isn't linked to the Star Solutions proposal, says the Roanoke Times. It simply calls for spending the money on dedicated truck lanes.

It's the third blow this year to Star's plan, says the paper. VDOT's early analysis of project showed the truck-only lanes would be underused by 2035, while the general-purpose lanes would be crowded with cars and trucks. And in June Koch Performance Roads dropped out of the Star consortium after its parent company sold off its asphalt plants in the U.S. and Mexico.