Just an update on the toll road down here in the South Bay. They say they get 30,000 vehicles a day I find that number to be on the high side.
It looks like toll are about to go up also. I am for bailing this one out as it should have never been a toll road in the first place. They developers should have been forced by the city to kick in if they wanted to build in the area.
Tollway prices to increase next week
30,000 vehicles use South Bay roadway
By Steve Schmidt (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. January 13, 2009
The cost of driving the South Bay Expressway, the four-lane tollway that debuted in late 2007, will increase by as much as 75 cents starting late next week.
South Bay Expressway Ltd. Partnership, the private company that manages the north-south road, announced yesterday that it would boost tolls effective Jan. 24.
“Obviously, no one likes it when prices go up,” said Greg Hulsizer, company chief executive officer. He said the increases are needed to cover additional operating costs, including recent increases in property taxes, water bills and what the California Highway Patrol charges to patrol the roadway.
Tolls for cash-paying customers will increase 50 to 75 cents, to a range of $2.50 to $4.50 per trip, depending on length. The highway runs from Spring Valley to Otay Mesa.
Many motorists using FasTrak, an electronic tolling device, will pay 25 to 50 cents more than they do now, with a range of $2 to $3.85 per trip. FasTrak rides between Birch Road and East H Street in Chula Vista will continue to cost 75 cents.
Hulsizer said just under 30,000 vehicles travel at least part of the 10-mile roadway each weekday, easing congestion on Interstate 805 and other roads.
He said his company recently informed local and state agencies, including the city of Chula Vista, about the toll increases. He said no major objections were raised.
As part of its 35-year contract with the state, the company can periodically raise rates to cover the cost of managing and maintaining the tollway.
Hulsizer said the increases are unrelated to the financial problems facing the partnership’s parent company, Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia, one of the world’s largest toll road operators.
According to Australian media reports, the value of Macquarie’s global toll road portfolio has plunged in recent months, partly due to a drop traffic volume.
