- Maine Turnpike Sees Traffic Surge Over First Two August Weekends
- First Sanibel Island Causeway Toll-Free Sunday Brings Out Visitors
- Seven Congress Members Take Issue With Proposed Hike In SF Bay Area Bridge Tolls
- Mackinac Bridge Authority Holds Online Auction To Sell Obsolete Toll Tokens
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Maine Turnpike Sees Traffic Surge Over First Two August Weekends
WGME reports, gas prices have surged up in New England, but that hasn’t kept travelers off the highways. “The Maine Turnpike Authority says August weekends are busier than some holiday weekends. During the Fourth of July weekend, the York Toll Plaza can see more than a million transactions. Well, this past weekend and this coming weekend are busier.” AAA says “beautiful weather” is contributing to the volume of weekend traffic.
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Maine Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maine Turnpike AuthorityFirst Sanibel Island Causeway Toll-Free Sunday Brings Out Visitors
WBBH News reports, some people took advantage of the first of six Sanibel Island Causeway toll-free Sundays yesterday, according to at least one business employee. “We’ve definitely seen an uptake in customers today, it’s wonderful,” said Clare Harris, who works at a bike and beach equipment rental company. “It’s just great to see the families come out.” she added. Lee County, Florida, commissioners recently agreed to waive Sunday toll collection over six weeks to support an economic recovery campaign launched by the local chamber of commerce. Sanibel Island and nearby coastal communities were devastated by last September’s Hurricane Ian storm surge.
Florida Lee County (Florida) Toll Exemption, Discount And Equity ProgramsSeven Congress Members Take Issue With Proposed Hike In SF Bay Area Bridge Tolls
San Francisco Chronicle reports, “Add seven California members of Congress to the list of officials who oppose raising [Bay Area state-owned] bridge tolls to subsidize BART and the region’s public transit. SB532, by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener, is at the heart of a letter of opposition Reps. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, and Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, wrote Friday to Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislative leaders.” The federal lawmakers, most of whom represent East Bay districts, argue the state bill wasn’t thoroughly vetted before introduction and doesn’t do enough to address regional transit agencies’ accountability for rising operating costs. (TRN inserted links in the quote text.)
Bay Area Toll Authority (San Francisco) (BATA) California Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) San Francisco Bay Area (CA) Toll Rate Changes Transit and Toll RoadsMackinac Bridge Authority Holds Online Auction To Sell Obsolete Toll Tokens
WILX reports, Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge Authority is auctioning off almost 100 “formerly circulated and now obsolete” toll tokens, a form of payment it once supported but stopped accepting in 2019. The authority is conducting the sale through the GovDeals® online marketplace website. WILX notes, by 2019, authority toll collectors “only saw a couple of tokens used each day to pay the toll. 2019 saw 4,228,973 vehicles cross the Mackinac Bridge, roughly 11,780 vehicles per day.” (The authority currently accepts payments made via a MacPass prepaid account, cash, credit or debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay.)
Mackinac Bridge Authority of Michigan Michigan Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Public Outreach And CommunicationThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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