OK, lets try another subject!

[gwstang]

My wife unit (red head) went to Tampa, Fl a couple of weeks ago, to visit our youngest boy (30). She evidently went through one of "Toll Roads", got a bill from them for $6.53 . Just curious as to who actually builds the toll toads? Just interested if public money is used or not. Back in '77-'79, I finished up my Navy days in Pensacola, Fl at the NAS there. There was a big bridge that has a gigantic hump in the middle for the big boys to go through to the Gulf. If I still remember correctly, the public were promised that the toll for crossing the bridge would end one the bridge was paid for. Well, guess what? Ya, you already guessed it. Long, Long after the bridge was paid off....the city/county would not let that cash cow go. Still have to pay today to cross it. I think it's about $3 or so for a car. I found it.... "Without a sun pass, you'll be charged an additional $2.50 for your first trip onto the island, then it's the standard $1 charge thereafter."

That really rack up on that. In the summer, many thousands of tourists cross there a day. :confused2:

 

[bunyip]

Same happened here, promises of a toll to finish after 'X' years has now been extended for another 10-15 years, new roads being built will be tolled so drivers will benefit (if you can figure that out let me know).
One toll road is operated by a private entity and will be handed over to the State when the price has been achieved, I am not holding my breath waiting for the toll to stop when it is paid for.
To add insult to injury anyone who has a utility vehicle is tolled the same as a truck, so many people have taken to driving these as they are a passenger vehicle with a decent towing capacity and room to carry camping gear etc, the government argue they are a cargo carrying commercial vehicle, snouts in the trough yet again, the loser pays system.
We have an electronic tag that records all trips and these must always be in credit for about $40.00, my money in their account making them money while I am not using it, the tag can be used on any tollway in the country.
It reminds me of an old episode of the Beverley Hillbillies with Phil Silvers as a conman taking money for supposedly building a tunnel through the San Bernadino mountains to take the smog away, 'we get the money, you get the shaft'.

 

[Jim Shooz]

We had that problem here. Local Council built the bridge and continued to charge tolls after it was paid for. A group of locals who had to use the bridge every day got together and looked carefully at the wording of the Government legislation which gave the Council the authority to charge. Started getting Court documents together. The toll booths disappeared overnight.

 

[polo1665]

Was shocked the last time I used the Pa turnpike. It'll cost you $55.00 to cross the state (Delaware to Ohio), $39.00 with Easy Pass. Seems a bit steep to me.

 

[Mendonsy]

What is even more irritating is when you get a bill from a toll road that you have never been on or even near. This new "cashless tolling" system is becoming a real disaster.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Same here. We have a toll road that was built back in the 50's with the assurance that in 20 years it would become a free road...but guess what? They reupped the tolls to help pay for the subsequent toll roads that they built, and all of the toll roads still charge tolls...including the original!

 

[oosik]

There was a bridge in Spokane where a toll was being collected when we first arrived - 1982. It was that way for about eight years. Then a big celebration - the bonds that financed the repairs to the bridge were paid off. Everybody held their breath - the city removed the toll booths and there was no longer a toll to cross the bridge. To be completely honest - the toll( $0.20) was more of a nuisance than a revenue source.

The system worked EXACTLY as it was supposed to.

Otherwise - I've never driven in the "land of the toll roads". Must be exciting............

 

[mjarrels]

San Diego Cornanado bay bridge did the same thing, bridge was paid off, kept the toll going to maintain upkeep. Wife went to NJ last year, got a ticket in the mail for running a toll road, they seam to be designed that you are always in the wrong lane when aproaching a toll both.

mark

 

[MossRoad]

I90 runs across northern Indiana. It was built as a toll road back in the 50's, with the promise it would be turned into a freeway once it was paid for. Well, the bonds got paid off, and instead of opening it up, they re-bonded it and it remained a toll road. And again.... then, in 2004, the governor put the toll road up for lease, and a foreign company bid $3,800,000,000 (yes, that's $3.8 Billion with a B) to lease it for 75 years. That company went bankrupt in 2014 and another foriegn consortium now controls the lease. Opponents of the original proposal (mostly the opposite party from the governor) filed a lawsuit in my county, and the judge told them they'd have to put up a $1.9 billion bond for the lawsuit to proceed. They appealed and lost.

The money the state got from the lease went to a project called major moves, and most of that money went for highway projects around Indianapolis. Out of nearly four billion dollars, our county, which the toll road goes through, got only $40 million.

Anyhow, here's the gory details, scroll down to the history of the indiana east-west toll road for some fun reading...

Indiana Toll Road - Wikipedia

This is the only toll road in our state, so we bear the brunt of it up here in the north.

 

[/pine]

Traveling from AL to Tampa there are limited options...US 19 (that follows the coast) is highly congested and is virtually one traffic signal after another for about 200 miles...The other free option is I 75 which is closer to the center of the state...The toll road "Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway" is about in between and is by far the best option...it is managed by the FL turnpike authority...

 

[orezok]

San Diego Cornanado bay bridge did the same thing, bridge was paid off, kept the toll going to maintain upkeep.

The Coronado Bay bridge has not collected tolls for more than 15 years.

 

[majorwager]

Once a toll road , invariably always a revenue generator. Applaud the exceptions noted. The NYS thruway now supports an orphan, the Erie Canal water way. The Thruway even owns the infamous Attica NYS prison. Gotta love the diversity.

 

[prichard]

When I lived in Jax someone sued to stop the tolls. The bridges had been paid for years prior. Judge ruled with the plaintiff and the tolls were removed. A shame that someone had to sue to keep the government honest.

What is even more irritating is when you get a bill from a toll road that you have never been on or even near. This new "cashless tolling" system is becoming a real disaster.

That happened to my wife. She used to spend 2 - 3 weeks a month in Miami for work. Suddenly some collection agency was hounding her about a toll on a rental car. She wasn't even in Miami that week that it occured. She called the state and they had no record of anything in her name. We can only guess the rental agency gave multiple records of rentals on that car and the collection agency just went after all of them to see who they could suck the money out of.

 

[fishheadbob]

In Buffalo with it's N.Y. tax mentality a lawyer sued the Thruway Authority to have the tolls on the I 290 and 190 - entrances to Buffalo - removed. The tolls weren't much, mostly a nuisance and the state probably made little after paying toll takers, maintenance on the booths, etc.. He won, the toll booths are gone, the lawyer ran against Cuomo for governor and really got beaten bad.
But on the other hand I was talking to a guy who worked for the Thruway Authority about how I have to pay tolls daily as I use the toll portion of I90 most every time I go out. He had a good argument . He said the tolls weren't much and he was right, really. He also said that the Thruway authority averages 5 times the salt per lane mile as the D.O.T. uses on major thoroughfares (That's a big thing in the Buffalo area) they plow it a lot more often in snow, and his road was a whole lot safer than anything the D.O.T. maintains; that the Thruway Authority has no potholes but repaves as soon as things get lousy, the D.O T. is not near as timely on repaving, and because of the tolls there is much less congestion than on parallel routes. Over the years I have come to believe everything he said. His argument was that you get what you pay for.

I know that when I'm in Florida I prefer the Florida Turnpike even with its' tolls to using the parking lot known as I95. r

 

[TractorGuy]

What is even more irritating is when you get a bill from a toll road that you have never been on or even near. This new "cashless tolling" system is becoming a real disaster.

A few years back I got a ticket in the mail for my F150. It had a photo that clearly showed a Mitsubishi with a similar but different tag number. I had to waste MY time getting in touch with them to get it removed. After I finally got a person on line they said YEP reader made a mistake. I told them I wanted a written notice stating the ticket was removed from my record and they refused. They had no problem giving me a written notice of the wrong vehicle charge but couldn't spend the time and money to provide a written notice of reversal.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The Salt explains that Econoline Van I saw years back in Buffalo that was basically just a frame!

Here they took taxpayer money to build a much needed highway (407). Then sold it to a private company that charges tolls. Expensive Tolls! I think it's been decades and I have never been on it. It's a rich mans highway.

And just what does Turnpike mean?

 

[flyerdan]

And just what does Turnpike mean?

It dates back to Roman times when soldiers would barricade a road with a long pole (pike), shake people down for the toll, then turn the pike sideways to allow them to pass. Or so claims Mike Savage on his radio ramblings on historic matters.

 

[fishheadbob]

And just what does Turnpike mean?[/QUOTE]

A long time ago toll roads had a pole or pike to stop traffic. You gave the guy however much, he turned the pike , and you were on your way a little poorer. Then the guy went back to baking tollhouse cookies. My neighbors live in an old toll house which was moved 100 years ago.