Fewer Drivers, Higher Tolls
NTTA approves raising rates despite contradiction to law of supply and demand
TXDOT
Toll rates will rise on September 1.
The North Texas Tollway Authority board of directors voted to raise rates on toll roads Thursday by approximately three-and-a-half cents per mile.
Beginning Sept. 1, 2009, the new toll rate would be 14.5 cents per mile on the Dallas North Tollway and the President George Bush Turnpike.
The average toll road driver with a TollTag is expected to pay an additional $10 a month, though, in comments on a previous article about the increase published earlier this week on NBCDFW.com, NTTA customers said they expected to pay more per month than what the NTTA estimates.
The Dallas Morning News reported the new rates will boost NTTA revenues about $14 million this year, and $43.5 million in 2010, and a steadily rising amount in every year beyond.
Director Dave Denison told The Morning News he was concerned that the rate was in response to temporary conditions caused by the current recession, and will bring in more than is necessary to meet the agency's obligations.
"I'm not absolutely fully convinced" that the 14.5 cent rate is necessary, Denison said. "If we come out of the recession and are going great guns we may not need all this money."
Posted Thursday, Jul 16, 2009 - 4:16 PM CST
