RALEIGH – Rep. Michael Wray has introduced a bill blocking the state from tolling Interstate 95 in eastern North Carolina until the state Department of Transportation can complete a study on the impact of the decision.

The legislation appropriates $300,000 for a study of the economic impact of the proposed toll and the impact on alternative routes that drivers may use to avoid paying a toll.

“Interstate 95 is a critical part of the infrastructure in eastern North Carolina,” Rep. Wray said. “The people of our community should not have to pay for a route that has been available to them for free for years, especially not one that is so important in their daily lives.”

Rep. Wray is the primary sponsor of the bill and Representatives Collins, Daughtry and Pridgen will also be sponsoring the legislation.

Rep. Wray is a small business owner in his fourth term representing Northampton, Vance and Warren counties. He is a whip for the House Democratic Caucus, a former chairman of the Insurance Committee and vice chairman of the Wildlife Resources Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources.