VIDEO: Update: Triangle Toll road to open this winter
The Triangle will have its first toll road very soon. Expected to open in mid-December but not start collecting until just after the New Year, the Triangle Parkway will connect I-540 in the southwest with I-40 in Research Triangle Park. News stories are reporting that the 3.5 mile stretch of road will be the most expensive tollway, per mile, in the country. With the state-issued car transponder, it’s $.50/mile. Without it, $.77/mile.
Well, of course it’s more expensive: it’s only 3.5 miles.
The vast majority of toll roads, like New York’s Thruway or the Florida Turnpike, have miles and miles of road to leverage economies of scale, so the cost can average below $.05/mile. What should really be taken into account is the peace-of-mind that will be provided by a more efficient commute. There will also be savings in gas money from the short cut the route provides.
Starting next summer, in August, tolls will be required on the current 2.8 mile section of road connecting 540 to 54/55. Then another 7 miles will open the same month to link up Highway 64.
Tollways are controversial where ever they are installed. What they represent is growth, and change. No one likes to have to pay just to drive on a stretch of pavement. However, its presence was inevitable. The Triangle is one of the best places to live in the country. The houses are very affordable and jobs, relatively speaking, are more available here than in many of the nation’s other large markets. We have benefitted from low taxes for decades and a state and city government that has, for the most part, accepted its role in managing that growth. There will always be things to debate.
It is our hope that infrastructure projects like this will open up new opportunities for homeowners who would prefer some of the quiet, less developed regions of southwestern Wake County, allowing them to reach their jobs conveniently. You can find more information about the pending toll roads on www.westernwakeinfo.com/visuals.html