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The issue has been simmering for months. Should there be a toll on the new Mobile River bridge and bayway? In this writer’s opinion, the answer is a resounding no. In this article, I will outline the reasons why I believe a toll is a bad idea.
First and foremost, I am opposed to the privatization of our roads and bridges. Infrastructure is one area where the federal, state and local governments should maintain control. American’s are already strained by rising costs in commodities, we can’t afford to be nickel and dimed every time we take to the roads. We pay taxes for a reason.
Another major reason for opposition to the bayway toll is that this road is simply too important to our area. Thousands of people have to travel the bayway daily for school and work. We are not talking about an alternate, fast route that is optional. Authorities want to take over the main route across the bay and toll it. This is unacceptable.
The way this project was planned raises serious doubts about the intentions of those behind it. It appears they WANT a toll in favor of more consumer-friendly options. You can see it in the way they have tried to sell the plan, threatening no bridge and no traffic relief if they don’t get their way. Its a common sales tactic: take this deal now or you’ll get nothing.
The planners also combined two major projects which inflated the price beyond what Alabama could afford. The Mobile River bridge and the bayway are two separate entities. While both projects may be needed, they could have been built separately in order to make funding more feasible. The river bridge is what is truly needed, as it would alleviate the bottleneck caused by the Wallace Tunnel.
A toll on any part of I-10 would be a major case of double taxation, especially considering Alabama just passed a gas tax increase. Like most, I was not happy about having to pay more for gas. However, I can accept that as long as the funds are used to improve our infrastructure as it should. I do not want to see gas tax money go into the general fund to make up for all the lost revenue we have due to corporate giveaways.
The government needs to be held accountable for financial mismanagement. This country has not properly invested in its infrastructure in decades. At the same time, we have had numerous tax cuts and spending increases that have ballooned our debt. We have to accept some hard truths: tax cuts do not pay for themselves, and some of our spending has to be set aside for infrastructure, even if it comes from existing programs.