Posted on 12/08/2018 8:54:40 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Traffic is actually up, and it will continue to be, even with higher tolls.. but they aren’t going to grow anywhere near projections...
The Turnpike is an alternate route around Philly... it will always have traffic... its a major interstate there.... And it will always have longer range traffic for folks who have to go through PA.. but the rates are having an effect... growth simply be tied to population growth...
Traffic will likely never actually DECLINE in raw numbers, but the percentage of people using it, will indeed drop and secondary routes will get busier....
The problem is the legislature (republican controlled) with a Democrat Governor passed Act 44, which required $450 MILLION A year out of the turnpike... which originally was supposed to just be for the turnpike... but of course was later changed to fund public transportation... This grand vision was originally when Fast Eddie was pushing for 80 to be toll as well... (which wasn’t going to and didn’t happen) but the turnpike still has to pay the state 450Million a year.. period... So... they simply have raised rates astronomically ... well over 100% in the last 10 years.
The problem is politicians (REPUBLICANS!!!) with a democratic governor, demanded nearly 1/2 a BILLION a year out of the Turnpike... and you can’t do that without raising rates.. a system that was making maybe 50 Million a year more than expenses, is now required to make nearly 1/2 a BILLION a year....
The contribution I believe legally drops sometime in the 2020s back down to 50 Million... but I am sure the politicians will just raise it when those slush fund dollars are in jeopardy.
PA has the highest tolls per mile, and highest gas tax in the nation per gallon... and its had a Republican controlled legislature for decades...
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