[sionnsar]

Watch their actual revenues fall WAY below projections.

[VeniVidiVici]

Cost me $29.00 in tolls one way to drive from Orlando to Boston a few months ago. I think $28.00 of that was from Washington to Boston.

[philsfan24]

so many alternatives - at least east of harrisburg. i definitely wont be taking the turnpike any more.

[Maelstorm]

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!

[pnh102]

Just so you know PennDOT is not the agency that manages the Penna. Turnpike. The Turnpike itself is managed by the Penna. Turnpike Commission, which is an agency separate from PennDOT. This toll hike is just more money dumped into mass transit money pits at the expense of the driving public.

At least there is always I-68. :)

[exit82]

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.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

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....

[jonrick46]

Wait until inflation goes through the roof as the value of the dollar declines. People won’t have the money for these tolls.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Emperor Palpatine]

"The Gov. William J. LePetomane 'Fast Eddie' Rendell Thruway? What'll that a**h*le think of next?!?"

[Cheetahcat]

I was up there a couple months ago from Florida into jersey and across Pa then down 79 coming home You need a bag of money they have toll booth's all over West Pa the Turnpike is a Joke. the rest stops look a hundred years old ,No money is spent on up keep. West Va roads are nice just watch for the speed traps!

[ikka]

TURNPIKE SCAM:

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.

[MarineBrat]

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!

[Fred]

Losers, keep voting for the marxist che lovin libs.

[conservativeharleyguy]

"...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..."

The remaining 10% will go.....??? Straight into the coffers of the state Democratic Party?

[Old Sarge]

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.

[Albion Wilde]

Ping!

[Eagles2003]

“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.

[MarkL]

I'm all for toll roads to pay for maintenance, but a 25% increase, all at once is pretty ridiculous. And something that I really didn't care for is the admission that 90% of the increases will be used for "off-turnpike" repairs...

Glad I don't live in PA.

Mark

[Fresh Wind]

The memory is fading, but I could swear that there was a time long ago when there was no construction anywhere on the eastern end of the turnpike (King of P. to NJ). I doubt I will ever live to see that day again.