Up Go Florida Tolls on Sunday
Jun 22, 2012
The following article was published in The Sunshine State News on June 22, 2012:
Up go Florida’s tolls on Sunday
By Jim Turner
The cost to drive Florida’s Turnpike, from Interstate 75 to Homestead, will jump by more than $3 Sunday morning for most SunPass users.
Those paying cash should expect to dole out nearly $4 more than they currently pay.
Crossing the Sunshine Skyway will require an additional quarter, or for someone driving to and from work five days a week, with four weeks of vacation time, that could mean an additional $120 a year.
It’s all part of a statewide toll increase going into effect at 6 a.m. Sunday, when the Florida Department of Transportation will raise rates about 25 cents per toll booth on most of the state’s toll roads and bridges.
The increase actually is mandated by state law to occur at least once every five years at a rate linked to the annual Consumer Price Index, or similar inflation indicators.
Since there hasn’t been an increase since 2007, the indexing must occur prior to July 1.
This is the first hike by the DOT since 1999 for SunPass users.
View the FDOT toll increases here.
Calculate FDOT trip increase here.
The state isn’t increasing the SunPass rates on the Pinellas Bayway, the Suncoast Parkway portion of SR 589, the Polk Parkway (SR 570), and the southern 11 miles of the Western Beltway (SR 429) between I-4 and Seidel Road.
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority will implement similar increases the following Sunday, July 1.
Expressway-Authority Chairman Walter Ketcham told the Orlando Sentinel that without the increase the authority would not reach its share for the construction of the $1.66 billion Wekiva Parkway.
While most of the initial pavement and spans of Florida’s toll roads have long since been paid by motorists, state officials say the increase is needed to maintain the thoroughfares.
“The additional revenues collected as part of the toll rate indexing will provide transportation funding to provide much-needed relief to already congested corridors,” Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Executive Director Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti stated in a release. “This will be accomplished by adding lanes and converting toll booths to an all-electronic system, resulting in the added benefit of improved safety.”
The increases are being implemented statewide at an indexing rate that averages 25 cents per each toll booth.
SunPass users may see larger increases than their cash paying brethren. But the rates continue to benefit those who stick an electronic transponder on the windshield as the state continues to encourage motorists to move away from paying cash.
A ride across the full length of Alligator Alley grows 75 cents, to $2.75, for those using SunPass, and 50 cents, to $3, for car drivers paying cash.
The cost to drive from end to end on the Seminole Expressway grows 25 cents, to $2.25, for cash paying drivers, and 50-cents, to $2, for SunPass users.
The increase is mandated by state law to occur at least once every five years at a rate linked to the annual Consumer Price Index or similar inflation indicators.
Since there hasn’t been an increase since 2007, the indexing must occur prior to July 1.
This is the first hike by the DOT since 1999 for SunPass users.
Here is a Q&A on the new toll, provided by the DOT:
Why is the DOT imposing the hike?
Florida Statute 338.165(3), enacted in 2007, requires all FDOT-owned toll roads and bridges increase tolls to keep pace with inflation at least once every five years.
When were the last increases?
- Florida’s Turnpike, cash customers only, March 2004.
- Alligator Alley, the east-west portion of I-75 that stretches from Broward County to Collier County, February 2006.
- Pinellas Bayway northern bridges, 1986.
- Beachline East, 1996.
- The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, 1982.
Aren’t the roads paid for?
The roads continue to incur operations and maintenance costs. Gasoline and transportation taxes alone barely cover maintenance of existing toll-free facilities.
Where is the new toll money going?
The new toll money will be used primarily for improvement projects along Florida’s Turnpike System and other Department Owned Toll Facilities. These include widening projects, interchange improvements, and new toll roads. The toll revenues will also be used to fund more safety and operational improvements along the road, such as new lanes between interchanges, interchange modifications, and all-electronic tolling. With the revenue from the toll rate increase, construction of these improvements can begin as early as 2012.
View the original article here: http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/up-go-florida-tolls-sunday