Toll roads can relieve congestion, reduce drive-times, professors say

The Ranger ^ | November 1, 2007 | Regis L. Roberts

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

By the way, Cintra is only a certainty for the first 316-mile portion of TTC-35.

[UCFRoadWarrior]

What nutty analogy...toll roads actually increase congestion because most will still use the non-toll road...esp local truck traffic because those vehicles are charged more.

Bunch of nonsense to justify building the NAFTA Superhiway to move cheap Commie Chinese crap through Mexico

[Brucifer]

Exactly. This thing is right down the street from me and even at seventeen cents a mile this will add up rather quickly.

I’d like to know what the Texas Dept of Transportation has been doing with all the money they’ve collected over the years. They probably spent it on hair spray for Governor Good Hair, Rick Perry.

[PAR35]

I recently drove 35 between the metroplex and San Antonio, for the first time in years. There are chunks of that road that haven’t been improved since the interstate was opened. Other stretches were potholed and rutted. If the Cintra contract goes through, I guess we can write off ever getting 35 brought up to standards, due to the non-compete clauses.

[Psycho_Bunny]

This reminds me of how I've often thought that taking government money out of the university system would improve education by creating accountability and frugality.

......and free up cash for roads.

[umgud]

even at seventeen cents a mile this will add up rather quickly.

Trust me. $.17/mile is only the opening rate. Before you know it, the rate will be 2-3 times that.

[PAR35]

I’d like to know what the Texas Dept of Transportation has been doing with all the money they’ve collected over the years.

You have read Prop 12, haven't you? They want another $5 Billion to play with this year.

[mylife]

I should have voted for Kinky

[mylife]

TXdot has been spending lord knows what building concrete median walls along I 30, but the road surface is falling apart and lighting is nonexistent.

TXdot sucks

[relictele]

“The white man will deal fairly with you Indians if you just sign the treaty!”

[OCCASparky]

I drive I-95 in NH. I’m here to tell you the toll booths aren’t exactly speeding traffic along, and that’s a mild understatement.

[Alberta's Child]

This article makes a very good point about the “cost” of congestion. Compare a highway to an electrical grid. Both of them are used by a large number of people, but the electrical grid has a variable pricing component that requires people to pay more during periods of heavy demand — the rationale being that this pricing arrangment will tend to reduce demand during those periods below what they would be in an “unconstrained” scenario.

[PAR35]

Here, they spent a lot of money to move an entrance ramp about 100 feet north. Of course, with the solid, ‘do not cross’ lines painted on the pavement, now you have to dive across 2 lanes of traffic to get though the short legal gap to get to the ramp.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t a competent traffic engineering program in Texas.

[mylife]

I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t a competent traffic engineering program in Texas.

I agree 100%

[Doe Eyes]

Step 1: Toll roads cost cost more, but allow the user to travel quickly due to less congestion.

Step 2: Toll roads discriminate against the poor, so poor people, minorities, children ... are exempted from tolls.

Step 3: Toll roads are as crowded as other highways.

[Theodore R.]

I’m not reading this article, but it could be that these professors have been hired by the toll road companies?

[sockmonkey]

Trust me. $.17/mile is only the opening rate. Before you know it, the rate will be 2-3 times that.

I notice the article didn't mention the $1.57 charge to get on or off the toll road. They've mentioned that on the San Antonio news.

It would cost me about $7.50 to go to Church and back again on Sundays. That is just wrong. I would prefer to put that money in the Collection Plate at Church, not at the toll booth.

Somehow Texas is turning into New Jersey.

[DallasMike]

I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t a competent traffic engineering program in Texas.

The High-5 interchange in Dallas and virtually all of the major interchange on the Bush tollway are proof of that.

[PAR35]

The High-5 interchange in Dallas

Yes, wasn't it so well engineered that they had to repave the connector ramps with blacktop because the concrete kept cracking - the bridges had too much flex, and not enough supports?

Have you driven on Central since they shaved about a foot or 18 inches off of each lane to make the ride more exciting north of LBJ? Of course, the stretch through the Park Cities/MStreet area still has full width lanes and a left side shoulder.