Thursday, July 01, 2010

Life in "Progress" State - Toll Booth edition

The Gekko's just got back from a long weekend getaway that took us to Chicago to Summerfest in Milwaukee.

One of the things you get when you cruise through these "progressive" areas are tolls........ lot's of tolls.

From Cincinnati to Milwaukee you'll need about 8 bucks for the privilege of driving on a freeway your tax dollars already paid for.

But hey, without the tolls, those roads would be horrible, Right?

Let's just say that the $3.50 toll to ride the Chicago Skyway subsidizes what might be the worst stretch of road in the history of the interstate system. What has all that money done for that 15 mile gravel road?

What's even more interesting is the 80 cent right to drive through Gary Indiana. In all fairness, I'd probably pay $20.00 not to have to stop in Gary.

By the way, it appears the casino in Gary has worked wonders for their economy. Now, people can actually afford to board up their abandoned houses.

Per Mrs. Gekko. "Wow! This area is really spooky looking. It's like a ghost town."

As soon as I bill a few dollars to pay for the tolls I just shelled out for, I'll be back to blogging.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Actually they collect tolls because they are part of a PPP (public private partnership) where private companies put up the money to build the tollways since the state government can't find the money to do it on thier own. Lower Illinois is actually experiencing an infrastructure construction boom as funds are finally being sent down state for projects whereas with Daly/Blago in charge almost all the funding went to the Chicagoland area the past several years.

-Jeremy