The conversion/rebuild/expansion of I-635 in Dallas is a good example of how to work it. The Feds under Obama refused to fully fund needed repairs (as the Feds are supposed to do) let alone needed updates and upgrades, so Texas went ahead and converted much of the highway. There is a subsurface six lane toll road running under the six or eight ‘free’ lanes that were completely rebuilt. No ‘free’ lanes were permanently taken away and in fact the rebuild added a little capacity and is a massive improvement in all respects. The toll road of course adds much additional capacity - but the payments made to use the toll lanes go to maintain the entire thing, both ‘free’ and toll lanes.
Basically, they didn’t take away any free capacity and they added more at no cost to the taxpayer in general. It’s not like the initial taxpayer investment is being stolen. Only users of the additional capacity will pay anything additional, and without the toll road there would be no expansion or improvements.
As for the CA toll road operators - I did say “properly administered”. Nothing in California is properly administered; the local tollway authorities here spend money constantly on upgrading and improving their roads. Potholes get filled in hours and they provide complimentary roadside assistance, to use a couple examples of their improved service offerings. The toll roads get repaved every few years instead of every few decades. Signage is fanatically maintained. When was the last time you heard of a state highway department doing that?
Is that why Houston has something of a seemingly similar ring-road scheme of both toll and non-toll roads?
If so, it’s horrible.