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I live in Maryland where recently the tolls across Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay were increased to $6 round trip and will go up to $8 round trip in some places for the cash prices, and they are scaling back the Baltimore region commuter discounts. A lot of this is to pay for a new highway in the DC suburbs which the rest of Maryland and the rest of Virginia subsidizes already. But with the toll debates one must wonder. Our liberal Democrat governor says that our tolls are now more in line with "the rest of the country" which to him only really means New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Masachuseets and other heavily taxed and tolled liberal states to our north.
Many longer bridges and tunnel are cheaper than ours and are free such as the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which is $3 round trip. The 236 mile Kansas Turnpike is only like $15 to drive the ENTIRE length one way. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, build through open ocean, is free. The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa is somewhere around $2 round trip. The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 across Colorado's Continental Divide was blasted through 15,000 mountain peaks and it is free. Compared to Baltimore, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has longer tunnels and bridges and the tolls are cheaper, and some have been removed after the construction was paid off. Yet even after the Chesapeake Bay bridge, the Key Bridge and the Baltimore tunnels were paid off, they are still increasing tolls and they also point to the "cost of maintenance" while other states in the South are not doing this.
At a public hearing, I was told that other states have lesser tolls because Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado were able to get a lot of federal funding while the Maryland tunnels and bridges did not get any funding from Congress. Now I wonder why this is. Since Congress allocates funds, and Congress historically has been controlled by Republicans (who will always have an advantage due to the abundance of rural states) maybe that is why Republican states are able to get more money? While all the liberal states like NJ, NY, Michigan, Illinois, MA all have high tolls on the highways.
It would be wise for Marylanders outside the DC area to stand up to the liberal elite that runs the state from that area which is very not in tune with the rest of the state.
PA has some ridiculous tolls. I drive 25 miles out of my way to avoid paying them, even if it costs more in fuel to bypass the tolls. We have alreay paid the taxes on the roads, why do they need a toll?
I was watching "The Patriot" on AMC tonight. It's sad how so many in the original 13 colonies sacrificed to bring freedom and liberty to this Nation, yet now a significant number of those original colonies have turned their back on those very same ideals. I'm sure the Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves!
Tolls are a big issue in Washington state. We have no state income tax (abeit one of the highest state gas taxes) so tolls are being looked at as a nice potential revenue source, especially with the new tech that makes grand-scale billing more feasible than it once was.
A common talking point from the left is that Ike built the interstate highways in the 1950's, but today's Republicans are unwilling to 'invest' in infrastructure. But what's missing from that is the cost issue.
We have a pair of bridges that span Lake Washington, which lies between Seattle and the Eastern suburbs. One of them is about to be torn down and replaced. The current bridge cost $245 million (inflation adjusted) when built in 1963. Work has yet to start on the new bridge and already they've spent $398 million on prep work--studies, consulting fees, and buying of some properties. Total bill projected at $4.6 billion, nearly 20 times the cost of the old bridge. $400 million spent before cement poured for new 520 bridge | KING5.com Seattle
I live in Maryland where recently the tolls across Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay were increased to $6 round trip and will go up to $8 round trip in some places for the cash prices, and they are scaling back the Baltimore region commuter discounts. A lot of this is to pay for a new highway in the DC suburbs which the rest of Maryland and the rest of Virginia subsidizes already. But with the toll debates one must wonder. Our liberal Democrat governor says that our tolls are now more in line with "the rest of the country" which to him only really means New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Masachuseets and other heavily taxed and tolled liberal states to our north.
Many longer bridges and tunnel are cheaper than ours and are free such as the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which is $3 round trip. The 236 mile Kansas Turnpike is only like $15 to drive the ENTIRE length one way. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, build through open ocean, is free. The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa is somewhere around $2 round trip. The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 across Colorado's Continental Divide was blasted through 15,000 mountain peaks and it is free. Compared to Baltimore, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has longer tunnels and bridges and the tolls are cheaper, and some have been removed after the construction was paid off. Yet even after the Chesapeake Bay bridge, the Key Bridge and the Baltimore tunnels were paid off, they are still increasing tolls and they also point to the "cost of maintenance" while other states in the South are not doing this.
At a public hearing, I was told that other states have lesser tolls because Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado were able to get a lot of federal funding while the Maryland tunnels and bridges did not get any funding from Congress. Now I wonder why this is. Since Congress allocates funds, and Congress historically has been controlled by Republicans (who will always have an advantage due to the abundance of rural states) maybe that is why Republican states are able to get more money? While all the liberal states like NJ, NY, Michigan, Illinois, MA all have high tolls on the highways.
It would be wise for Marylanders outside the DC area to stand up to the liberal elite that runs the state from that area which is very not in tune with the rest of the state.
Here in Libbachusetts there are toll collecters and parking lot attendants earning 80-100k per year along with the most extravagent benefits known to man. That's not bad for a job that's less complicated than pumping gas. Look for the union label when wages are ridiculous and the tax payers and consumers who have to pay them are getting the shaft.
2008 Mass Pike Payroll - BostonHerald.com (http://www.bostonherald.com/projects/payroll/mass_pike/earnings.DESC//3/ - broken link)
PA has some ridiculous tolls. I drive 25 miles out of my way to avoid paying them, even if it costs more in fuel to bypass the tolls. We have alreay paid the taxes on the roads, why do they need a toll?
The PA Turnpike? It has never seen a dime from the taxpayer since it's inception in the early 40's, matter of fact one of the reasons it's so expensive is because they send about $500 million each year to the PA general fund which is actually more than what they spend on themselves. You can thank Ed Spendell for that.
I live in Maryland where recently the tolls across Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay were increased to $6 round trip and will go up to $8 round trip in some places for the cash prices, and they are scaling back the Baltimore region commuter discounts. A lot of this is to pay for a new highway in the DC suburbs which the rest of Maryland and the rest of Virginia subsidizes already. But with the toll debates one must wonder. Our liberal Democrat governor says that our tolls are now more in line with "the rest of the country" which to him only really means New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Masachuseets and other heavily taxed and tolled liberal states to our north.
Many longer bridges and tunnel are cheaper than ours and are free such as the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana which is $3 round trip. The 236 mile Kansas Turnpike is only like $15 to drive the ENTIRE length one way. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, build through open ocean, is free. The Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa is somewhere around $2 round trip. The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 across Colorado's Continental Divide was blasted through 15,000 mountain peaks and it is free. Compared to Baltimore, the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has longer tunnels and bridges and the tolls are cheaper, and some have been removed after the construction was paid off. Yet even after the Chesapeake Bay bridge, the Key Bridge and the Baltimore tunnels were paid off, they are still increasing tolls and they also point to the "cost of maintenance" while other states in the South are not doing this.
At a public hearing, I was told that other states have lesser tolls because Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado were able to get a lot of federal funding while the Maryland tunnels and bridges did not get any funding from Congress. Now I wonder why this is. Since Congress allocates funds, and Congress historically has been controlled by Republicans (who will always have an advantage due to the abundance of rural states) maybe that is why Republican states are able to get more money? While all the liberal states like NJ, NY, Michigan, Illinois, MA all have high tolls on the highways.
It would be wise for Marylanders outside the DC area to stand up to the liberal elite that runs the state from that area which is very not in tune with the rest of the state.
I wonder why the socialized economies of the Liberal Blue states somehow manage to provide more money to the Federal government than they receive in spending. Without excessive Federal money transfers most of the Red (how appropriate considering the welfare they receive) States would be economic disasters. Red Stators do not pay tolls because they don't have to. They are getting Federal welfare to pay for their roads. Blue stators do pay tolls because they are paying for the Red State welfare and need the tolls to maintain the roads, bridges and waterways.
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