v8440

Uh, yeah it is that bad. I'm sorry, but stuff like $18 and $30 fees to drive on a road is retarded. There's no purpose in that-somebody's pockets are getting lined, and it ain't yours. Somehow, our roads down here manage to stay in one piece without raping every single person every single time they drive over a bridge. From what I've seen, MOST of the rest of the country is the same way. For $30, or even $18, that bridge better drive my truck, massage my back, change the oil, and give me a big mac. NO way in HELL a pickup truck and trailer do that kind of damage to the road unless they're running on the bare metal rims while fishtailing the entire way.

HappyGA

What part of Bama are you from, cause in the Cullman HUntsville, Bham area, the roads are rough as all get out, there is one hole on 65 that is so wide, my truck will not straddle it. I found this out the hard way as I had no where else to go, and it literally drops 3 inches. I thought I lost the front end tha day....and I-20 to Atlanta, oh my gosh it is like ridin a mule and buggy across rutted roads...

GA has the best roads by far...

CD in NM

Just about EVERY STATE is whining about the maintenance of the interstates and bridges, and lack of fed financial assistance. ALL of them are making claims that the breakdowns of the structures and surfaces are supposedly due to trucks. Let's face it, all the bridges are 'oldies and not goodies' they were designed long before trucks were the size and load capacity they are today, and also the traffic quantities they see today. So all of those who charge tolls to use the bridges and roads are now starting to aim at ALL trucks to finance repairs and maintenance. The costs to do these maintenance and repairs have doubled like everything else. It would not suprise me one bit to see all the roads in America that begin with an "I" becoming toll roads, and all of the bridges that were not previously toll bridges become them.

The current fee systems will be rising dramatically on ALL those toll roads that are now going to be 'leased out' to private corporations as they are also taking over the maintenance. I would expect toll costs/expenses to double in no time flat. I look for more and more of the toll roads to become leased as well. The mentality of all 'diesels' being commercial and 'for hire' use is just plain stupid. The general public use of diesels has been rising for a long time. This is just one more way to get money out of us due to poor money management on the part of the states DOT's.

By the way, it is not my intention to turn this into a political argument, just seems as though this is the underlying truths/reality of the situation to me.

CD

v8440

I'm in Montgomery. You're right, Cullman does have crappy roads. In any case, if they applied the money to the roads instead of pissing it away with special favors and whatnot, an $18 toll should be WAY WAY more than enough to ensure nice smooth going on a bridge. I don't have any specific statistics to cite-to me, it's so far out of the realm of reasonability that just plain common sense will tell you that an $18 or $30 toll is crazy. I mean, if you have 10,000 vehicles a day crossing a busy bridge, a reasonable estimate I think, and you charged each of them $5, you'd gross $50k a DAY. Now, let's subtract $500 a day to pay the tollbridge employees. I still think thats wildly optimistic compared to what they make, but let's pretend. Now, the maintenance of the tollbooth equipment we'll say costs $200 a day. $50k minus $700 a day is $49,300 dollars a day. There are 365 days in most years, except for leap years. Just to be conservative, let's pretend there are only 310 days in a year. That will allow for holidays and such. You know as well as I do that there won't be 45 low-traffic holidays in a year, but remember, we're being conservative here. That's $15.283 MILLION dollars a year, at $5 a vehicle!

Somebody PLEASE explain how you can POSSIBLY not be able to maintain a freakin bridge for $15,283,000 dollars a year (unless it's the golden gate bridge)? Hell, you can probably PAY TO BUILD AN ENTIRELY NEW BRIDGE every few years at that rate. I mean, JESUS GOD, is that not enough money? And these folks just keep paying it?

No. I'm sorry, but I don't buy that. There are times when something can genuinely cost much more than the general public understands, and there are times when anybody can see that it's a rip off. Ray Charles can see that $16 or $30 to cross a **** bridge is ludicrous. Most of that money is not being used to maintain some stupid bridge. It's going somewhere, and like I said, it's apparently NOT going towards benefiting the poor folks who have to pony up scads of money every time they drive over a bridge.

Begle1

You have to pay the people collecting the tolls.

v8440

That is true, which is why I put this in my previous post:

" Now, let's subtract $500 a day to pay the tollbridge employees. I still think thats wildly optimistic compared to what they make, but let's pretend."

P.J

I just payed $12 for my truck and trailer over the DE Memorial bridge. I questioened it, she said it was cause my truck has dual rear wheels
They usually charge by the axle, that I am sure of.

You guys ever heard of large corporations sponsering sections of highway? Makes sense to me!

The City of Ocean City is paying everyone's toll for them on the Bay Bridge from 9-12 on Friday.

CD in NM

I have run into the 'dual wheel' rate thing in the past on I-80 tolls. I was charged the next higher rate because of the duals. When I questioned this charge the booth operator told me that it was because I had 2 pairs of tires, that counted as 2 axles in the rear + 1 axle in the front for a total of 3 axles. So, you are charged by the number of pairs of tires which then equal pair equals an axle. I have noticed on some tollways there is an axle counter that you pass, then the electronics calculates your fee. Those are usually un-manned booths. If this method of fee/rates is taken into consideration without some type of scale in combination, it would be better for a semi-driver to go through them rather than take the semi bypass. Anyway you look at all the numbers, repairs, maintenance, wages, etc - they are still making a ton of money that IS NOT being turned back into the stretch of road you are paying for.

CD

RustyJC

Not that I'm a defender of the DOTs or someone who likes higher taxes, but in many states (Texas, for example), the fuel tax that was intended to fund road construction and maintenance hasn't increased in over a decade. Costs, on the other hand, have increased substantially. That really isn't DOT mismanagement - that's the legislators ignoring the problem.

We're either going to pay for our roads with fuel taxes or tolls. Since the politicians don't want to raise taxes, the pressure is on to turn more and more highways into toll roads.

Rusty

Spooler

No way I would live up north. We only have one toll road around here and that is on Hilton Head,S.C. It cost $1.00. I will not pay that. I drive around. NY forget it. Not going. Yes, we do have some good roads in Georgia. They say it is due to all of the granite in the area. Works great for building roads.

Mcmopar

More and more are coming, Raleigh is talking about making the "new" under construction 540 a toll road, or possibly part of it.

junkhauler

I just crossed the verrazano bridge yesterday and it was $9.00. I think total cost in tolls from my house in Va Beach to New York was $32.00. I wouldn't mind tolls if the roads are nice, but when you get to New York the roads suck and you have traffic.

csramsey640

I ran i-76 PA turnpike last week for 160 miles with my triple axle car trailer. When I got on, I got a ticket saying class 2, I found my fee, and had exact money ready, $10 When I got off I was charged class 3, 14.50 so I had to dig around again, and whatnot.

infidel

What gets me is that some states are considering selling their toll roads to private concerns, one of which is a Chinese company.
What I don't understand is why a state would think they could make more money selling the roads than just raising the tolls if they aren't breaking even.

Far as I know there is not even one toll road or bridge in Montana.

TRCM

And that is BS, cuz a 10,000 lb truck with 4 wheels will do more damage to the road than a 10,000 lb truck with 6 wheels.

10,000/4= 2500 lb per wheel

10,000/6=1667 lbs per wheel


they are just screwing us