Will Maine Possibly Raise Toll Prices During Peak Travel Times?

Technically, Maine highway tolls were supposed to go away.

I've only heard this anecdotally, but as I understand it, it was believed at the time that when the Maine turnpike was paid for through toll collection, that the tolls would go away. Over the decades, highway tolls are no part of Maine's paycheck. They are definitely never going away. We're stuck with those.

It happened in Bangor and Brewer back in the day. When the Joshua Chamberlain bridge was built, there was initially a toll. When the bridge was paid off, the toll was discontinued. But Maine's highway tolls will be with us forever. They're like luggage you inherit from your parents. It's forever...

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New York City is modifying its toll collection practices.

New York City just recently voted to change the way they collect tolls for drivers going in and out of the city. In short, they've opted to start charging more money for vehicles that go through their tolls during peak travel times. For instance, a vehicle may pay a toll in one location at night, that would cost $3.75. The same toll during the day would be $15.00.

That's a crazy increase. What they're hoping is for something two-fold. First, they hope it would decrease traffic volume during peak times, by encouraging people to use public transportation. But it would also be a revenue stream for their coffers. It's not quite passed yet, as it's being held up by several court cases, according to WABI/CBS News.

Should Maine follow suit?

Maine really only has a few ways into it, and a large chunk of our our state's income, comes from tourists traveling into Maine. It would seem that during peak travel hours, especially during tourist season, there might be an opportunity to adopt this kind of pricing model, to raise more money for the state.

Likely, not everyone will be on board with this, as New York City is finding. On the other hand, the Maine Turnpike Authority could probably use the extra cash. There must be a way to keep it from being pushed onto Mainers. We'll have to see once the legal battles are settled in NYC. But Maine very well may end up on this train of thinking. Time will tell.

With tourist season on the way, keep this list handy if you're going to do some traveling...