Rehan Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 I know there are quite a few people up in arms, especially in Austin, about the new push for tollroads.I was just wondering...Has anyone ever driven through Oklahoma? There are tollroads all over that state. In some cases its almost the only way to get from one city to another.I'm all for keeping pre-exisitng freeways free, but if tollways are the only way to increase infrastructure in Texas, then I'm all for that too.I'm not really trying to make a point, but I think some people may have been spoiled by never having to pay to drive before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Usually, once the government starts charging tolls, they rely on them forever as a source of revenue. Also, the Austin tollroads will be operated by private contractors, and the concern there is that the roads will be designed to force people onto them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Connecticut is the only state I've ever heard of that actually took down the toll booths. I-95 used to be the Connecticut Turnpike. When the booths went up the state promised that they would only remain until the road was paid for. I've heard other states make the same promise and fail to live up to it. But some time in the 90's, Connecticut actually lived up to its promise. I was floored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ2025 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Connecticut is the only state I've ever heard of that actually took down the toll booths. I-95 used to be the Connecticut Turnpike. When the booths went up the state promised that they would only remain until the road was paid for. I've heard other states make the same promise and fail to live up to it. But some time in the 90's, Connecticut actually lived up to its promise. I was floored.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I believe Dallas did the same thing with a Toll on I-30 that connected Fort Worth to Dallas.....You can tell it used to be a toll because of the limited access and how the ramps are designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorAggie Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Yeah, I-30 was the first tollway in Texas, called the Dallas-Ft. Worth Turnpike (or Tollway). Virginia also took out the booths on I-95 near Richmond. I remember it was a toll road in the late 80s-early 90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Front pagePlanners put brakes on Texas 249 toll road!Tomball Parkway will include free lanes in the mixBy RAD SALLEE, 10/11/04, Houston ChronicleState highway planners said Monday that they have abandoned an unpopular proposal to convert an eight-mile segment of Texas 249, the Tomball Parkway, into a toll road to pay for extending it northward.Instead, they told 30 officials, residents and business owners from northwest Harris County that other funding options will be considered, including a mix of free and tolled lanes such as those being built on the Katy Freeway and possible private sector involvement.Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, said the announcement by Gary Trietsch, district engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, helps allay concerns that a toll road would harm "the vitality and growth of our businesses.""I was educated," Hillegeist said after Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson explained the financial realities of road building.Tim Aimone, of Hewlett-Packard, a major employer in the area, said a proposal by County Judge Robert Eckels to use a mix of free lanes and Katy Freeway-style HOT lanes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jghall00 Posted October 12, 2004 Share Posted October 12, 2004 I know there are quite a few people up in arms, especially in Austin, about the new push for tollroads.I was just wondering...Has anyone ever driven through Oklahoma? There are tollroads all over that state. In some cases its almost the only way to get from one city to another. I'm all for keeping pre-exisitng freeways free, but if tollways are the only way to increase infrastructure in Texas, then I'm all for that too. I'm not really trying to make a point, but I think some people may have been spoiled by never having to pay to drive before. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think the push for tollroads is great, provided the bonds are supported only by toll revenue. In other words, if the toll revenue is insufficient, the bond holders lose their money. This would ensure only roads with suitable projected demand be built. Tolls make the most of available land. People who have a pressing need to get through traffic can do so, while those of us whose time is less valuable can sit and stew in traffic The market is great at allocating resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehan Posted October 12, 2004 Author Share Posted October 12, 2004 People who have a pressing need to get through traffic can do so, while those of us whose time is less valuable can sit and stew in traffic I agree. I have an eztag, but I only use it when I need to, otherwise I use alternative routes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Texas 249 debate heads northOfficials back off conversion; toll focus shifts to other optionsBy KIM JACKSON, Houston ChronicleWHAT'S NEXT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Toll option is not deadTomball leaders await outcome of state's studyBy KIM JACKSON, Houston ChronicleTomball leaders are waiting to see what happens to a proposed section of Texas 249 after transportation officials abandoned a toll plan for Texas 249 south of Spring-Cypress Road.Some community groups are opposed to a toll road in or around Tomball.Others said they are waiting to see the results of the Texas Department of Transportation's Texas 249 study, which examines the possibility of building a Texas 249 toll road north of Spring Cypress Road.Future toll revenues would repay loans or bonds sold to fund that Texas 249 extension project.Janelle Gbur, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation, said the study on the 12-mile segment from Spring Cypress to Pinehurst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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