In the grand scheme of things I have less of a problem with tolls like that than general tax increases. We need the bridge, it has to be paid for.
And the trip across now is MUCH better than it used to be. Hadn't heard that they were gonna do 2 new tunnels. I thought they were stopping at the extra lanes.
We'll just need to keep a watch on them. It's like the tolls that used to be in Richmond on I-64. They were to pay for the road. Finally some legislator (I forget who) pointed out that the road had been paid for several times.
Now if we could just get rid of the tolls on the Powhite.
Like you, I also have less of a problem with a toll increase than with a tax increase.
When we were still in the process of moving down here, I tried my best to keep up with (i.e.learn) the local news. It's been more than a year and I don't remember exactly when, but I do remember reading in the local paper abouthow at a public hearing regarding the toll, North Hampton and Accomack County residents were adamantly opposed to the proposal to totally do away with it. If I recall correctly the reason for doing away with it, or drastically cutting it was that it was more than self-sufficient and there was a surplus. the reason for the opposition was the folks in NH didn't want more people from the Western to move to the Eastern shore.
Please understand, I still lived in Delaware at the time and so wasn't totally up to date on everything going on here, as I still had to keep up there!!!!
A month or so ago my husband and I met a couple of FReepers in Hampton Roads and that was the first time I had been on it in 20 years. What a difference with the extra lanes. but the tunnels themselves were still as scary to me as they were 20 and 30 years ago - and my husband was driving!!!
the info about the tunnels was in a story in my local weekly paper about the toll increase.