"The Gov.
Posted on 01/04/2009 8:15:34 PM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
People who use the Pennsylvania Turnpike will now have to shell out more cash for that privilege.
The toll fee for all drivers went up by 25 percent on Sunday, part of a plan that has been a long time in the making.
WFMZ's Jackie Shutack talked to drivers whose ire was raised, along with those tolls.
George Moyer/pittston: (gasps) "6 bucks -- it used to be to go down to Philly, now it's 8, that's ridiculous!"
Luke witts, jr.:quakertown: "It's going to be tough."
Ira goosay/scranton: "I thought the rate they had was pretty high."
Greg strus/quakertown: "We just went to visit my mom in Wilkes Barre - we paid $3.25 coming up, now we're paying $4.10 coming back, it's ridiculous."
Reporter: PennDOT officials explain the toll increase will help pay for repair projects.
Carl defebo/PennDOT: "90% of the monies from this increase, will be used by PennDOT to finance off turnpike road and bridge projects as well as mass transit operations across Pennsylvania."
Reporter: From exit to exit, passenger vehicle drivers will now pay 95 cents instead of 75 cents. Many drivers are now plotting alternate routes in order to avoid shelling out the extra cash.
"I've figured out ways around the turnpike---- to get down to Philly, there aren't too many ways around the turnpike."
Alice jones/maryland: "Probably not use the turnpike as much."
Watch their actual revenues fall WAY below projections.
I used the PA turnpike last week, but I can get to that destination another way.
so many alternatives - at least east of harrisburg. i definitely wont be taking the turnpike any more.
Toll hike? For what. The last time I went through there is was like paying to drive on a secondary road and a bad one at that!
The worst part is that the rest stops aren't great for that kind of money....
At least there is always I-68. :)
One of the consistently worst roads in the country.
They already collect an obscene amount of tolls and they still can’t maintain the road properly.
Parts of the PA Turnpike will be 70 years old next year.
And why would’nt we want to pay more for such great, smooth, well maintained...
(In my best Gilda Radner as Emily LaTella voice)...’never mind.’
Seriously...don’t know how the roads are on the eastern side of the state (don’t that way much) but coming in from OH...across the ‘Gateway’ (with that lovely banner of Fast Eddie Welcoming You To Pennsylvania) is amazing. OH Turnpike...smooth, well maintained...pot holes? What pot holes? Cross into PA WITH THE SAME WEATHER PATTERN...AND YES ITS FLAT AT THE WESTERN ENTRANCE and the road sux!!! Awful...in like less than three miles. Please...somebody who cashes a PENNDot paycheck splain that to me.
And it cost me 95 cents to go one friggin exit yesterday (needed to make good time). Rrrrrrrrr....
To drive the general public onto other routes...
outrageous...
Wasn't there a time when trucks weren't allowed on the turnpike?
Wait until inflation goes through the roof as the value of the dollar declines. People won’t have the money for these tolls.
Irwin to Monroeville (I had the car that we don’t have EZ Pass on...and I hate to have a second one).
I've never had the pleasure of driving I-68...
Rendell doesn't care about that.
Yah. They’re talking about new tolls on the Lake Washington bridges (includes I-90, the western terminus of Boston’s corrupt Big Dig). Not worried about it; I’ll just go and spend money in Seattle even less than I do now. I say let the locals support their infrastructure, I’m going to reduce my wear&tear on their “environment”...
ping
Do you remember when that was?
I used to visit the ‘Burgh by coming up from West Virginia on I-79, and it was exactly the same - you didn’t need to see the sign to know when you crossed the Pa. line, your suspension let you know.
Nor have I...but the trouble with the western end of the Commonwealth (the Pittsburgh metro area) is that you can’t go very far without having to cross a bridge or go thru a tunnel. And even a breakdown (forget about PENNDot maintenance) can slow things down to a crawl. There are sections of major arteries that are bridges that you don’t even recognize as bridges when you drive over them...so it makes life interesting here.
PENNDot is re-configuring the plaza at the Allegheny Valley Interchange...and the building cranes and steel work really do look like engineering wonders.
LOL...on WVa highways. Almost all are named after some member of the Byrd family. Maybe that is the key :)
“The turnpike is taking a new approach future toll increases. Starting in January 2010, tolls will go up incrementally about 3 percent each year.”
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20233644&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6
Could be, but today, they probably don't want to be on the Penn Turnpike.
People get what they vote for.
The Pennsylvania apparatchiks intend to raise tolls 3% a year forever to comply with some "law" passed in 2007 and use the money to fund mass transit.
Funny thing is some states like Louisiana have great roads, repair and build new ones all of the time and do it with NO tolls at all .
http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/
This is the change you voted for.
You obviously are not talking about New Orleans. My suspension went out when I hit one of the craters they call potholes.
Hmmm...maybe math lessons?
The toll fee for all drivers went up by 25 percent on Sunday, part of a plan that has been a long time in the making.
[...]
George Moyer/pittston: (gasps) "6 bucks -- it used to be to go down to Philly, now it's 8, that's ridiculous!"
Read this:
PA Turnpike 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
At these pages as marked in the PDF:
Page 10 - $696 million in cash or equivalents
Page 26 - revenue is $620 million, against cost of services of $373 million, meaning: PROFIT from current turnpike charges of $247 million. 247/620 means 39.84% NET PROFIT.
Yes, there is a bunch of other BS about the payments to PennDOT etc. which is just smoke and mirrors accounting.
BTW the Turnpike as we all know is horribly mis-managed, so there could easily be another $50-100 million per year available in the event that it was run right.
My mother once told me about when the PA turnpike first opened. People were peeved about paying a toll, but the government promised that the toll was only temporary, until the road was paid for.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAGGHHH!
The New York Thruway rates went up as well.
Losers, keep voting for the marxist che lovin libs.
Of course, N.O. roads are maintained by the socialists.
“... promised that the toll was only temporary, until the road was paid for.”
I was just going to bring this up but I cannot find a link to support this claim. My dad said this was the case though.
I was listening to Bob Durgin’s show on WHP580 one day a few months ago and either he or a guest host mentioned casually that the state legislators got their wives jobs on the state lottery commission and for their mistresses spots on the turnpike commission. A transcript of that show would likely add a lot of context to this thread.
Where is the road cut in your photo?
The remaining 10% will go.....??? Straight into the coffers of the state Democratic Party?
My mom was born in Pittsburgh in the 1920's, and I honestly couldn't tell you when the turnpike actually opened, but that's what she told me.
The thought of today's government keeping their word on such a thing is a joke.
My amazing psychic powers tell me that there will be griping about it for a few weeks, and then The Sheep will pay it and accept it as part of life in Socialist Amerika.
Because that’s what The Sheep want. And that’s what The Sheep do.
Ping!
“I’ve figured out ways around the turnpike—— to get down to Philly, there aren’t too many ways around the turnpike.”
I hate to tell these a**holes the PA turnpike doesn’t go to Philly.
I have no clue where they think they are, but a good guess would be they are the clueless a**hole in front of me blocking the road.
The PA turnpike is also the oldest “interstate” type highway in the US. They figured out after building the pike that curves should be laid out on a circle and not follow the lay of the land, a bigger problem in the western section of the pike.
Son lives in York, PA. I live in Somerset, PA. toll on PA. pike was $7.75 now almost $10.00 one way...so I have been taking Rt. 31 and 30 a beautiful drive, but curvy, in any season...just drove it today and very little traffic and I enjoy the change from montinous turnpikes...
they have seen the last of my $$$ on the Fast Eddie Speedway...
Many years ago I read a newspaper account of the political origins of the Turnpike Commision.
You know how long term memory behaves after the mid-term so don’t take this to the bank, but...
After a study proved it was possible the road once planned as a state project turned into a quasi-state project when politically connected movers and shakers at the judge level and above saw it’s potential.
They did kick in money back then but once it was set up the operating expenses were passed on to the taxpayers. I believe the State Police force was enlarged so they could police the Turnpike.
The original investing family’s started receiving non-stop dividends almost immediately. I can’t say they are still receiving the money but what the heck, it’s Pennsylvania. Some things are just taken for granted.
And yes, the promise was that once the cost was paid off the toll booths would come down.
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