Drivers to see major toll hikes

[The2ndWheel]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-27-tolls_N.htm

From the Golden Gate Bridge to the New Jersey Turnpike, the nation's toll booths are getting dramatically more expensive to drive through.
The sharp increases come as states endure financially lean times triggered by the housing and credit crunch and struggle to find money to maintain or replace vital infrastructure.

Big toll hikes are planned for most of the nation's signature toll roads, bridges and tunnels. The increases would add dollars, not cents, to the cost of passing through many toll booths.

For example, in March, the toll for cars driving on the George Washington Bridge linking New York and New Jersey — the nation's busiest toll bridge — jumps to $8 from $5 during peak hours. Truckers will pay $35, up from $25.

[Kolesar]

1. Construction costs are wayyyy up due to commodity costs

Ever since the Florida hurricanes of 2004, construction materials jumped in price and have kept climbing. The depreciation of the US dollar has killed our buying power on the international market, too.

[phantom power]

2. I hope everybody is enjoying their small, bathtub-drowning government.

[acmavm]

3. One way to control everyone. Make it too expensive to go

anywhere. Hell, we paid to build the damn highways in the first place. And now we'll have to pay private companies to use 'em.