The South Carolina Department of Transportation is taking the initial steps necessary to establish tolls on Interstate 95.

The department has filed forms with the Federal Highway Administration asking for permission to charge motorists to drive on I-95 to pay for maintenance and reconstruction.

To charge tolls, SCDOT needs both federal approval and legislation from the General Assembly.

In its filing, SCDOT said I-95 "is in critical need. Currently Interstate 95 does not meet the needs of the motoring public." But the cash-strapped transportation department has neglected maintenance on the interstate because of state budget restraints.

In its application to the FHA, the agency said it intends to fast track tolling on I-95, putting toll booths on the interstate within two to three years.

Though tolling apparently has some political support, the idea is generating criticism, particularly from the trucking industry.

Rick Todd, president of the South Carolina Trucking Association, said tolls would be devastating to the tucking industry, which is experiencing difficulties because of high fuel costs.

"I'm very concerned about the future of our so-called freeway system," Todd said. "It's not going to be free."

Todd said tolling I-95 could stymie economic developers' efforts to transform the Pee Dee into a logistics and distribution hub for industry.

The recent announcement from QVC that the company will build a 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Florence and FedEx's announcement that it's building a ground hub here are signs that companies are increasingly looking at the Pee Dee as a prime site for distribution.

"I can't imagine that you'd be doing anything but throwing cold water on the growth of the distribution industry in South Carolina," Todd said. "And I can't imagine that QVC can possibly be happy that they decided to build a distribution center here, then they find out that we're talking about putting tolls on the highway they'll be using."

But Florence County Economic Developer Joe King said putting tolls on I-95 is a good idea.

"I don't think it would have a negative impact at all on our economic development efforts," he said. "I don't see it as anything but positive because we have to do something to improve our roads."

Another objection to tolling I-95 is that its construction has already been paid for. Instituting tolls would be requiring taxpayers to pay for it twice, Tom Crosby of AAA Carolinas, said.

"It's a complete abrogation of promises to the public," he said. "The politicians in South Carolina should be ashamed of themselves for supporting this idea. They've cut back on the number of highway patrol troopers, maintenance on the roads and now they want to charge people to drive on a highway that the taxpayers have already paid for."

Crosby said putting tolls on I-95 in South Carolina would make the interstate the most heavily tolled road in the United States.

North Carolina and Virginia already signed an agreement to establish the Virginia-North Carolina Interstate Toll Road Compact, in which the two states would share revenues generated. The states set a maximum of $5 for tolls on I-95.

SCDOT's move to set the stage for toll booths on I-95 comes the same week Gov. Mark Sanford called for the temporary repeal of the state's gasoline tax, which goes toward highway maintenance.

Approved by the House on Wednesday, the suspension of the 16.8 cent-per-gallon tax from October through December also must be approved by the Senate.