NORRISTOWN -- Gov. Ed Rendell says a novel county proposal for a $1 toll just to use an interchange has caught his interest and maybe some state money.

Rendell says he will try to get $20 million for a new electronic interchange to link the Pennsylvania Turnpike to downtown Norristown to reward Montgomery County "for its innovative approach."

The county proposes requiring motorists on the interchange to pay a toll and probably a $1 surcharge to help pay for the more than $160 million project.

As more state and federal transportation dollars go to repair crumbling roads and bridges, Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph Hoeffel says a new project like the Norristown interchange may well not get built without innovative financing. Traffic and revenue experts will also weigh in on the feasibility of such a plan.

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