Roanoke Rapids City Council tonight, with one member absent, voted in favor of a resolution opposing the tolling of Interstate 95.

The next step following a public hearing today on the potential tolling of Interstate 95 will be to begin lobbying federal legislators and officials against the measure, Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Allen Purser said.

The state Department of Transportation says the tolling of Interstate 95 is not inevitable and its bid for tolling authority from the federal government could be shot down.

The Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce is encouraging the public to take part in a hearing on the potential tolling of Interstate 95.

Local officials will begin studying a newly released report on Interstate 95 improvements which all but says tolling is the way to fund road and bridge repairs.

Improvements to Interstate 95 from the South Carolina and Virginia state lines include a tolling component, a newly released study says.

Interstate 95 tolling remains one of the options to fund improvements to the highway, Halifax County Economic Development Director Cathy Scott told commissioners today.

Perhaps no comment like City Manager Paul Sabiston’s nearly two weeks ago sums what everyone already believes on tolling: “I think your governor supports it.”

While the state says Interstate 95 tolling is not definite, local officials believe it is.