Texas Toll Roads

[whporwil]

A while ago I ran Texas Toll RD 130 as I have done for several years. This year I was billed for the motorhome and my toad as two separate vehicles or $59 dollars and change for one pass. I'm wondering if they had a price change or if this might be a mistake.

If you have ever tried to call the number on the bill you know this can take a couple of hours before you get a human.

[Executive45]

irishtom29 wrote:
The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 and was considered a wonder.

It still is! We 'wonder' why we're still being charged to use it!..:W....Dennis

[WILDEBILL308]

I have both an Texas Toll Tag and a EZ-Pass for The North East. When I got the EZ-Pass I was instructed to remove the pass from the toad when it was being towed. It is billed as a trailer and cheaper than if you drove both through the plaza separately. I still haven't gotten a good answer or any answer after a couple of inquires to the Toll Tag people. Are both billed or are they billed as one 4 axil truck? I am still investigating and will report if I get some info.
I love those who spend 4-5 times as much going around the tolls as just driving where you want. Yes if you don't have a EZ-Pass it can be pricey. I messed up and went across the Georg Washington bridge before I had a EZ-Pass it was $76.00
I had planed on jogging over to the Tappan-Z but messed up. But some times you want to get someplace and using the toll roads are the essayist way. I would hate to drive East to West in NY State and not use the Thruway.
Bill

[LOG]

Texas SH130 has six segments. Segments 1-4 are the original SH130 operated by TxDOT. Segments 5-6 are operated by a private company. The cost to travel segments 5-6 is two or three times the cost to travel segments 1-4. If traveling SH130 from Georgetown south, try to get off the toll road before you enter segments 5-6. In our motorhome, it costs about ten dollars to travel segments 1-4. It costs another thirty dollars to travel the remaining segments 5-6. We found this out the hard way, by actually traveling the toll road.

[Goldencrazy]

One thing we do know is that all of us regular folks do subsidize the big corporations with infrastructures we pay for with user fees and tax dollars. Not saying it is bad thing just that it is real. Toll roads are one way to do it. In some places there are toll roads that are owned by private business and numerous bridges. Not sure that is a good idea. At any rate happy travels. PS I understand tolls in Mexico are very high.

[bob_nestor]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
Someone needs to get a grip on these toll roads. You pay several taxes to build them and then some unelected official decides to add a toll. As I remember the PA Turnpike was built in 1952 and at the time they claimed it would be paid for in 10 years---might be the longest 10 years in history because they are still charging. To their credit VA did remove the toll on the Richmond-Petersburg turnpike years ago, then added a toll road by pass!

Texas schedules the building of new roads using tax dollars, but if local communities want to advance the build schedule the State floats bonds and makes it a toll road. Typically when the bonds are paid off the toll road reverts to a free road. Rapid business expansions in some of the metropolitan areas have generated a perceived need for new roadways though, and some of them were built as toll roads to pull the build schedules forward.

[Goldencrazy]

I like toll roads that thin out traffic and not needing toll booths is great with the I-pass, Roads need maintenance and our RV's are heavy but trucks are the worst. Too bad we killed the trains. We have no toll roads in WI and have some of the worst roads even with gas tax for roads. I wish we had tolls. I like a break for locals like you find on many toll bridges. I also agree with all who avoid them as that I a decision we also make but when we want to make time and avoid traffic jams toll roads are a blessing for the most part.

[msmith1199]

whporwil wrote:
A while ago I ran Texas Toll RD 130 as I have done for several years. This year I was billed for the motorhome and my toad as two separate vehicles or $59 dollars and change for one pass. I'm wondering if they had a price change or if this might be a mistake.

If you have ever tried to call the number on the bill you know this can take a couple of hours before you get a human.

I can tell you in California the toll for most of the Bridges in the SF Bay Area is $5 for a two axle vehicle. But for a four axle vehicle, or vehicle combination, it's $20. So if I disconnect the toad and my wife drives it across it cost me $10 for both vehicles. If I keep the toad hooked up, it costs $20 to cross the bridge.

[Dale_Traveling]

whporwil wrote:
,,, I was billed for the motorhome and my toad as two separate vehicles,,,

Do you have a toll pass or such in both vehicles? Normally the toll system counts axles and will charge accordingly but if a second tag is seem the system defaults as if there was a traffic back up and the second tag was following close behind.

[lonewolf80]

Living in New York, I'm stuck paying the tolls on the NY Thruway if we are going somewhere for the weekend. I much as I hate paying their tolls they also know time is money, or for us time is more enjoyment from our weekend getaways.

[irishtom29]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 and was considered a wonder.

[Executive45]

If it's got more than two lanes, I ain't on it !.....patronize the small towns, enjoy the scenery and arrive relaxed....Dennis

[rgatijnet1]

You can't spend money like crazy without eventually going broke. Raising taxes is always tough so the government usually first raises fees and other charges, that they are allowed to change without input from the citizens. In 2014 the prohibition on having tolls on the Interstate Highways was removed. I think it is only a matter of time before you see the various States installing toll booths on the Interstates, if for no other reason other than they can. Until then, on almost every toll road or bridge that I have been on in the last few years, the states have raised their tolls.
Interstate Highway tolls

[ferndaleflyer]

Someone needs to get a grip on these toll roads. You pay several taxes to build them and then some unelected official decides to add a toll. As I remember the PA Turnpike was built in 1952 and at the time they claimed it would be paid for in 10 years---might be the longest 10 years in history because they are still charging. To their credit VA did remove the toll on the Richmond-Petersburg turnpike years ago, then added a toll road by pass!

[wallynm]

Just program my GPS top avoid Tool Roads. IMHO Tool Roads is a failure of the political process. You pay road tax on fuel and then Tool on top on that.

Last trip to the east coast we got to see some beautiful country and arrived de-stressed.

[wolfe10]

Clicky: https://www.txtag.org/en/about/tollroad_sh130.shtml