Link to article here. This represents the absolute worst kind of fiscal policy that drew ire when the Chicago Skyway was sold to Cintra-Macquarie to balance the state’s budget in 2006. The people of Illinois will now be paying 99 years of interest and toll taxes to Spain and Australia so their government could balance the budget for one year. It goes to show that these toll road slush funds are NOT about infrastructure or congestion relief or anything other than MONEY! Road taxes are now the funds of choice that politicians raid for every pet project on the planet. This is NO user tax! Tolls translate into a whole new tax on driving while they tell you to your face it’s not a tax increase. Throw the bums out or they’ll tax us into poverty!
Kansas tolls for college profs digs still not dead
Toll Road News
Wed, 2007-04-11
Kansas legislators still see the need for the government to bail out a bunch of state colleges because the professors’ digs are in need of rehab, and the state’s governor Kathleen Sibelius hasn’t abandoned her January proposal to raise tolls on the Turnpike. The higher tolls would support $300m in loans to the colleges for repairs and deferred maintenance.
Legislators haven’t acted on the governor’s proposal. Most agree with the Turnpike that any profits should be plowed back into the road. Kansas house majority leader Ray Merrick thought the colleges should raise more money themselves by increasing tuition fees. 
Students hopefully benefit from college education in better jobs and higher incomes so higher ‘user fees’ made sense.
However Merrick’s view isn’t flying. Other legislators, and the governor want to keep the profs on the state’s gravy train. Trouble is they can’t agree what gravy train!
So the possibility remains of the Turnpike tolls being used to fix the college digs.
Tolls up 5% Jul 1
Meanwhile preplanned toll increases on the Turnpike have been confirmed for July 1.
Toll increases will average 5%. The last toll increase was in 2004, also 5%.
Tolls will rise:
– for cars from the present 3.78c/mile (2.3c/km) will rise to 4c/mi (2.4c/km)
– for tractor trailers from 11.1c/mi (6.8c/km) go up to 11.7c/mile (7.1c/km)
– for long triples with 9 axles from 27c/mi (16.6c/m) to 28c/mi (17c/km)
CEO Michael Johnson says the Turnpike plans to make these kind of modest increases in tolls on a regular basis every year or two rather than allow the buying power of toll revenue to deteriorate over long periods requiring “huge” increases.