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540 was tolled at the request of the governments along the west arc, who did not want to wait for the road to be built in due course. As required by law, NCDOT widened 55 at the same time. Anyone who doesn't want to pay the tolls on 540 can drive on 55 instead.
I hope that once completed that I-540/NC540 will be renamed to what it originally was supposed to be: I-640
Not gonna happen for 2 reasons:
1) Back when what is now I-87 was first approved as I-495 back in 2013, NCDOT asked FHWA for a waiver to keep the I-540 number because of the cost of replacing signs and local familiarity with the existing number. FHWA agreed to it.
2) Because NC-540 was/is being built with federal funding, NCDOT would have to not only remove the tolls, but pay back the feds all the money that was used before NC-540 can become I-540. I don't see any chance in hell of the latter happening, especially not now.
540 was tolled at the request of the governments along the west arc, who did not want to wait for the road to be built in due course. As required by law, NCDOT widened 55 at the same time. Anyone who doesn't want to pay the tolls on 540 can drive on 55 instead.
It happens occasionally, but yes, it's rare. I-95 in Richmond and I-190 in Buffalo are two I can think of off the top of my head.
At least they seem to be trying to make sure it happens here by writing it into law, but we can only wait and see.
Kentucky got rid of all of their toll roads once they were all paid off, but like others have mentioned, they seem to be the exception, rather than the rule, since most states just keep the tolls coming in, way after the roads are paid off!
When I was a kid there was a toll on the Southern State Parkway on Long Island - think it was 10 cents LOL. They did away with it when I was a teenager.
Kentucky got rid of all of their toll roads once they were all paid off, but like others have mentioned, they seem to be the exception, rather than the rule, since most states just keep the tolls coming in, way after the roads are paid off!
Well it's understandable being that the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon hasn't been raises since 1993 (No one in Congress has the guts to sponsor it), and meanwhile cars' MPG averages have almost doubled which decreases the total gas taxes collected.
Even with NC's hefty 39 cents per gallon tax added to that I find that prices in NC are a little cheaper than in Atlanta. Some stations make over $1 per gallon in profit.
I think it's great that the 540 bonds were refinanced twice during low interest rate periods which saved millions.
1) Back when what is now I-87 was first approved as I-495 back in 2013, NCDOT asked FHWA for a waiver to keep the I-540 number because of the cost of replacing signs and local familiarity with the existing number. FHWA agreed to it.
2) Because NC-540 was/is being built with federal funding, NCDOT would have to not only remove the tolls, but pay back the feds all the money that was used before NC-540 can become I-540. I don't see any chance in hell of the latter happening, especially not now.
I understand the rules, but I hate one loop having different shields and designations once the tolls are removed.
I still have faith that, for clarity and easy driver understanding that it will get a single name one day.
After all, Old Wake Forest Rd got changed to Wake Forest Rd in Raleigh, and North Blvd. became Capital Blvd.
I don’t love the tolls, but it’s not changing at this point. Some of us fought it 20 years ago, when they literally stole a few miles and maybe $50 million worth of road between 54 and 55 that had already been built with tax money, then folded it into the toll project. Nothing changed then, and this gets us the roads done faster than otherwise, which is a good thing.
Now, I’ll also have an argument that they could have done some things less expensively. I mean who came up with the idea of painting all the concrete, which of course didn’t adhere and had to be removed years later, and some re-coated with high performance coatings. Could have just left it alone to begin with. Same goes for the toll gates themselves. Why not just use metal truss supports instead of building them out of concrete? The gantry overhead is a metal truss so it would blend right in. Then there’s the idiocy of their curve radiuses for most ramps, but they claim that was to save money. I will say that they do keep it maintained better than most similar roads around there though.
There is a tradition in the US to differentiate the look of toll highways from regular interstates. I'm not saying that I support that but it is what it is.
The Concrete supports for the installed gantries might be the same cost or less than the ubiquitous steel structures seen almost everywhere. I think they cost $60K or more each.
I never knew that highways get all kinds of sealants applied which extends the pavement's service life another 3-7 years. I learned that from the MOPAR report given to the state legislature every two years to help them in allocating funding.
Wonder who will be done first--all the construction on I-40 East after the 440 split or the 540 extension to US 70 in Clayton?
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