According to the article Ga. 400/I-85 to be rebuilt, but was new toll needed? in the AJC:
… for Ga. 400 toll payers who once expected the toll to expire this year, the congestion relief will be bittersweet. As they now continue paying the toll for another decade to fund the interchange project and others, there is a new kicker. The bid the state accepted Friday for the project is far lower than the state estimated it would be when it made the case that the toll had to be extended.
So low, it raises the question of whether the toll extension was necessary in the first place.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted at the time that the toll authority expected to have $42.5 million in excess toll reserves at the conclusion of the original toll, meaning that the state did not need to extend the toll to pay for the I-85/Ga. 400 interchange. However, Perdue, who chaired the authority as governor, replied that not just those projects, but others along the corridor needed to be done, too.
If bids on all 11 of those Ga. 400 projects — estimated by SRTA last fall at a total of $67 million — come in at the same low rate under the estimates, the state wouldn’t need the new toll to build any of them.
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Gena Evans, director of the toll authority, told a legislative panel earlier this year that eliminating the toll could impair the state’s bond rating as well as confidence with investors in public-private toll projects.
Ms. Evans neglected to mention that removing the toll would also impair her ability to collect a six figure salary as the state’s head toll collector if the tolls stopped as promised.
As a wise man once said,”Once you vote to give the government your money they will do with it what they damn well please.” Remember this any time government asks you for permission to take more of your money.
Tax and spend Republicans promoted the GA 400 toll extension so they could have a pot of money to help their political friends. Only a few legitimate projects were promised.
A large share of our tolls goes to pay operating and administrative costs (a.k.a. bureaucracy). Also our GA 400 tolls are used to study and promote new toll roads throughout the state. Why should we pay for that?
A few Republicans spoke against the toll extension, but much of that seemed to be lip service. Were they afraid of upsetting the GDOT and Toll Authority who wanted the extension?
It’s time to oust the liberal Republicans and vote in true consevative Republicans.