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Most expensive toll road in the nation is about to open

PigsDad

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The most expensive toll road in the US is set to open December 12th. Where is this extravagant road you ask? NYC? LA? Boston?

All good guesses, but it happens to be in Colorado. (yes, I said Colorado! :ponder:) The good ol' state of Colorado had decided to fleece people returning from a weekend of skiing for up to $30 for 13 miles of roadway, making it the most expensive in the nation.

One would think that for $2.31 per mile, that section of road must have been a very expensive construction project and they need to recoup costs, right? Bzzzt! Wrong, you are! The only thing the CDOT did was to re-stripe 13 miles of the existing 2-lane I-70 road west of Denver, and make it into 2-lanes with an "express" lane. They accomplished this by narrowing the lanes and eliminating the left break-down lane. That begs the question of safety on this section of road -- a winding section of road through the mountains with steep grades and prone to snow and ice in the winter. Not to mention a major truck route.

This will promote car pooling, reducing the total number of cars, right? Bzzzt! Wrong again! Every vehicle will pay the same toll charge to use that lane; there is no break for HOVs.

My final question for everyone to ponder: were the planners of this smoking something that is now legal in Colorado when thinking this up? :ignore:

Kurt
 

T-Dot-Traveller

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WOW - more money than Hwy 407 in Ontario Canada

Hwy 407 -ETR ( Express Toll Route ) opened in 1997 and is a partial beltway
around the Toronto GTA .

current rate 0.34 km / or approx. .57 cents per mile with a transponder -$21.50 yr lease.. ( More if the cameras have to read your plate when you enter and exit because you do not have one )

so 13 miles would be $ 7.41 .

It was originally owned by the government but was sold off in the early 2000's so the government in power at the time could give a $400 tax break .

Private ownership keeps raising the per km. cost

I have not voted for THAT party since .
 

x3 skier

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Got stuck in MLK weekend jam one year on the way to Steamboat for the ski season. Never did that again:D.

I also never travel to Denver on late Sunday or from Denver anytime on Friday. One of the many advantages of being retired;).

I couldn't find how this will be controlled. I assume cameras only wilh no physical divider which is ripe for cheating via WAZE or other info unless there's continuous coverage.

Cheers
 

PigsDad

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Yes, I try to avoid those peak times as well as it can be a mess on I-70. Since this new toll lane is targeted at tourists and skiers, I think there are going to be some very disgruntled visitors in the coming months.

I know there are no physical barriers to separate out this lane, just cameras and sensors. Unless you have the ExpressToll transponder in your vehicle, an article I read said the $30 max toll could turn into about $40 with the surcharge for license plate toll. Now imagine some ski tourist with a rental car that isn't familiar with the toll road, and with rental car surcharges, visitors to Colorado for a ski weekend could easily see a $100 unexpected bill in the mail a few weeks after they get home. Ouch.

Kurt
 

Passepartout

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Now imagine some ski tourist with a rental car that isn't familiar with the toll road, and with rental car surcharges, visitors to Colorado for a ski weekend could easily see a $100 unexpected bill in the mail a few weeks after they get home. Ouch.

Ski Utah's gotta love it. They have advertised 'Airport to slopes in 45 minutes' for years. Now they can add the word 'FREE'.

Jim
 

x3 skier

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Ski Utah's gotta love it. They have advertised 'Airport to slopes in 45 minutes' for years. Now they can add the word 'FREE'.

Jim

Once in a while I drive over to the Park City area from Steamboat on US40 for a few days of skiing. It feels like a shorter drive than to Denver on Sunday night. :wall:

OTOH, I did get caught in a spring sheep drive on the highway that took an age to get thru. If there're coming toward you, you just stop and let them flow around you but if there're going the same direction you spend forever creeping thru the herd. :rolleyes:

Cheers
 
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