Maybe we need to introduce Texans to NJ and PA toll roads.
80 years old. Never been paid off...
Here in MA we’re now on our third time paying for the mass pike.
Hardy Toll Road opened in 1988 when I first moved there. It has to be paid off.
Yes, SOP with government. It's a tax.
Here in California, they built the SF/Oakland Bay Bridge with the promise that the tolls were temporary. They lied. Tolls increased, and long after the bridge was paid off, the tolls were used to build a half a dozen or more bridges, each with a toll that was simply a tax because they were already paid for with the Bay Bridge money. Promises are always broken, user fees are never temporary but are made permanent, and taxes are always increased. Tolls are used for non-bridge related items, such as ferry boat systems and buses, besides going in the general fund.
Even this article doesn’t tell it all. These days much of the toll road money goes to ‘community transportation projects’ in the City of Houston. The other half of it is that the most expensive parts of their toll roads (i.e., the complex interchanges) were fully financed with state money.
If the money trail ever got investigated, people would FREAK OUT at what’s being done to them.
They’re phasing out tollbooths in favor of windshield tags so you’re up a creek if you need to use in an emergency or get stuck on one of these roads accidentally. The rates are outrageous as well.
I already pay road use taxes. Why would I want to pay for the same tax twice?
That is exactly why I have never been on a toll road.
They’re taking a page from Chicago’s playbook: the point of a toll road is that drivers pay the tolls forever.
The really frustrating part, is when they sold us the idea of the Beltway 8 toll road they initially told us once the road was paid off the road would become free and the tolls would go away.
Last year when they, once again, raised the tolls, those of us who were around for the original vote, yelled loudly about the increase and showed up at meetings to remind HCTRA and county commissioners about the original promise. However, they conveniently “forgot” the promise and told us we misunderstood the original vote.
The D/FW Turnpike between Dallas and Ft. Worth was converted from a toll road to I-30 back in the 70's. But, that's the only one in my memory where it happened. And, the highway is always in horrible shape.
The Dallas North Tollway has run from Downtown Dallas to I-635 for decades. It's probably "paid off", but it is still operated as a toll road, at rates that date back to the 70's. The tolls contribute to maintenance of the road, and it's always well-maintained.
That toll road has been expanded all the way past Frisco, enabling residential and commercial expansion in an area that was otherwise difficult to access. The road wouldn't have built in advance if it wasn't a toll road. And it's so popular they are adding lanes in Plano.
That's also true for the Bush tollway (named after Bush 41, not Bush 43). It runs east/west from Rockwall to the D/FW airport. It would have taken decades to build it, if they had to wait for the Texas Legislature to fund it, little by little. Instead, they built it as fast as possible, with the only real delay through an area with a lot of wetlands.
I have no problem with the tolls, as it means the people that actually use the road pay for it. With my Toll Tag, I get a discount on the tolls, and the tag works on every toll road in Texas.
Between two cars, we spend about $40 every 6 weeks. It's a reasonable price to pay for roads that wouldn't exist or would still be under construction.
Within 5 minutes of me, we have roads that have been under construction for YEARS. A friend nearly went out of business because the road in front of his shop took so long to be widened. The county got just enough money each year to keep the project going.