Today was the first day in almost exactly 3 months that I had to pay a toll. None of the roads I drove in any of the states that I have been to over the past 3 months had tolls. That is a strange realization. The last time our car had to pay a toll was sometime on our trip from PA out to our first actual stop in Sioux Falls, SD. I wonder what this is a testament to. Why do so many eastern states have toll roads? Is it because of the increased population in these states when compared to this part of the country? Is it related to the amount of traffic and therefore wear and tear on the road? Is it indicative of lower taxes or other ways that states make up the difference? Is it a result of the age of the road, perhaps because so many of these states are newer than many of the east coast states, they do not have the need to fund an updated road system?
Today, driving from Amarillo, TX to Tulsa, OK on my final leg from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, I had to stop and pay a toll. That's right, not only did I have to give them money, I had to stop to do so. I have grown accustomed to finding the EZPass lane and not having to stop, so this experience seemed really odd to me. When I did not see a sign, I waited in line, hand on both the EZPass and cash to pay the toll. I am glad I had cash that day as I was informed by the attendant that they do not recognize EZPass and the only states they are connected with are Kansas and Texas.
This seems so outdated to me. How is it that it is 2022 and not only does Oklahoma not recognize EZPass, but that they are only affiliated with two other states for their toll system? Are we really not more technologically advanced that we cannot have a more uniform toll system? I can get something delivered to me in two days but I can't drive across the country with my EZPass?
Also, I am still trying to understand the toll system. After driving through a lot of SD, ND, MT, WY and ID and parts of UT, CO and TX, I am still so baffled that I have not encountered toll roads. Perhaps I just got lucky, or perhaps they have figured out a way to have functioning roads without directly charging people to drive them. I wonder how much more money in my life I would have if I never had to pay a toll.
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