Over at Indiana Barrister, Abdul notes that toll road tolls have not gone up in the past 20 years. He characterizes this as the folks in Northern Indiana “basically driving for free.” Perhaps I’m missing something special about the Toll Road, but shouldn’t the bonds on building that road have been retired by now and the tolls eliminated? Is there a principled reason for imposing a tax on that road that we do not impose on the rest of Indiana’s roads?
I can see the reasoning for imposing tolls to pay for construction of the road in the first place if the road simply would not have been built any other way. But once the construction bonds were paid, the tolls should have stopped. I seem to recall hearing that when construction was started that promises were made for an end to tolls once the bonds were paid. At most, it seems to me that tolls should be set at a level sufficient to pay for maintenance of the road and no more.
But, road funding being what it is, I would not be surprised if there is a twist of which I am unaware. I’d be happy to know what that is.
they keep telling me in Illinois that the tolls are to pay for highway maintenance, not just the initial construction. but I think they’re looney, because the highways are always bad. except for 80/94, which has been under construction continuously since 1985 and which ironically isn’t a toll road. I’m convinced it’s some kind of jobs program ala TVA.
tolls are evil, and wrong, and against nature. And ours just doubled for people who don’t have an I-Pass.
I’ll go well out of my way to avoid driving through the Chicago area en route to parts west, up to and including just driving to Peoria before heading north.
The Toll Road website brags about how they take no gasoline taxes for upkeep, it all comes from tolls. Seems to me that gas sold on the Toll Road carries its full load of taxes though. So anyone driving the toll road is already being double taxed.