Toll Roads. Do You Drive Them Or Avoid Them?

[toyotafan]

So my current commute has me driving on no toll roads, however DFW area there is a new toll road being built called inerstate 360 South from interstate 20 down 9 miles. Texas has a particular problem because it would be political suicide to run on a platform for which we are advocating an increase in gasoline tax, But how else are roads gonna be built?

Anyhow, I'm just curious how many members use toll roads, how many do not use toll roads, how many sometimes use toll roads. And if you do drive on toll roads what percentage of your monthly budget is that?

 

[tbplus10]

I use toll roads when I'm in a company vehicle, (Screw'em they should've given me a raise last year, then maybe I'd be more loyal and thrifty).
If I'm in my personal vehicles I plan my route around the toll roads as much as possible.
The new toll road your mentioning is less than a 1/4 mile from my house, but since traffic on 360 has been so bad for a few years now we've found ways to avoid traveling down it, and it shouldn't affect us much. I refuse to continue to pay tolls (taxes) on a road I originally paid for the building of. Especially when those tolls (taxes) go to a foreign owned company that by law (war act of the 1940's) should not be allowed to own American infrastructure.

 

[tibadoe]

No toll roads close to me. But if I'm driving for a company I use them.

 

[Jimbos toy]

So if you like toll roads, New England is for you. Avoiding them is difficult. The saying "You can't get there from here" may have originated here. The surface roads either take you way out of your way and/or always seem to be crowded. And you can't forget to play dodge the potholes.
Avoiding interstates for at least part of you journey is tough. We use a NH Easypass. At least you don't have to stop at toll booths. And they email you when your balance is low.
I think it's the best way to get around up here.

 

[rickc5]

AFAIK, the only toll road in Colorado is E470 that runs around the Denver Metro area to the East. Far to the East. I love to use it when we're over there cuz it really reduces drive time, and is safer during a blizzard, but OMG is it expensive. They read your license plate and mail you a bill. We used it numerous times when taking care of my very ill sis-in-law and when we got home, here came a bill for about $130.00! Yikes!

 

[toyotafan]

More and more toll roads in North Texas. They even are adding onto existing roads so that a toll-road will start at a certain mile marker and they build a new road. Just makes my blood boil when I can't get over and take one stupid toll exit. It's happened thus far 2 times for me, really pisses me off.

 

[tbplus10]

I recently started commuting from I20 and state highway 360 to Jupiter and 161, 42 miles, $8.90 toll, 65 minute trip.
After my first weeks toll bill I started looking at other routes and found out if I drive I20, to Loop 12, to I35, to I635, to I75 its 38 miles, $0 tolls, and takes 50 minutes.
So much for toll roads saving time, fuel, and money.

 

[toyotafan]

I recently started commuting from I20 and state highway 360 to Jupiter and 161, 42 miles, $8.90 toll, 65 minute trip.
After my first weeks toll bill I started looking at other routes and found out if I drive I20, to Loop 12, to I35, to I635, to I75 its 38 miles, $0 tolls, and takes 50 minutes.
So much for toll roads saving time, fuel, and money.

Ive found the toll roads, with the single exception of i360 south of interstate 20, saves almost no time ... unless you're going to a place right off one of the toll roads with limited access from other roads.

 

[tbplus10]

try Great Southwest, to Lake Ridge Pkwy, to Broadway, it puts you down near Methodist Hospital in Mansfield, same amount of time but no tolls.

 

[kennythewelder]

You guys have a lot of toll roads in TX. We do have many here, but if you want to get from point A to point B you dont have a choice but pay the toll. There is no way around them, with out going 100s of miles around, and in some cases, it is the only way in or out of an area.

 

[toyotafan]

Yeah, we usually have a route around toll roads in the DFW area. Some of the tolls in south Texas are about to fail or have already failed because people didn't buy the time savings is worth paying a toll argument.

Here's a list of toll road authorities in Texas. These aren't the roads, just the authorities that control the roads in their area.

County toll road authorities
County toll road authorities (TRAs) are established by single counties. A county toll road authority is a division of the county in which it is established.

Authority Creation date Notes
Brazoria County Toll Road Authority (BCTRA) 2003 Does not yet operate any toll roads
Chambers County Toll Road Authority (ChCTRA) 20?? Does not yet operate any toll roads
Collin County Toll Road Authority(CoCTRA) 2010 Does not yet operate any toll roads
Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA) 2000 Operates the Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road and the Fort Bend Westpark Tollway in Fort Bend County.
Fort Bend Grand Parkway Toll Road Authority (FBGPTRA) 2009 Branch of the FBCTRA; created to take over a major two-thirds portion of Segment D of SH 99 (Grand Parkway), located in Fort Bend County, from TxDOT;[12] TxDOT retains operation of the remaining, minor, portion of Segment D located in Fort Bend County.
Harris County Toll Road Authority(HCTRA) 1983 Operates the Hardy Toll Road (including the connector to George Bush Intercontinental Airport), Sam Houston Tollway, Westpark Tollway, Fort Bend Toll Road (north of Beltway 8), Katy Managed Lanes in the median of I-10 and the Tomball Tollway in Harris County.
Liberty County Toll Road Authority(LCTRA) 2007 Does not yet operate any toll roads
Montgomery County Toll Road Authority (MCTRA) 2005 Operates two toll ramps (one from I-45 North to SH 242 West and the other from SH 242 West to I-45 South), with HCTRA collecting the tolls for MCTRA.
Waller County Transportation Authority (WCTA)
Formerly Waller County Toll Road Authority (WCTRA) [13] 2010 [13]
2008 Does not yet operate any toll roads

 

[jazz]

Closest toll road to me is 800 miles away, used it once and there was little traffic on it.
I used toll roads frequently hauling in the US and they are great when its on the company's dime Illinois was a bit of a pain with cash boxes every few miles

 

[toyotafan]

I wouldn't mind it as much if i drove it, paid right then and was done. I've been the victim of ntta billing bullying and mistakes and have had to pay twice for the same toll.