The history of toll roads might surprise you

In an effort to make Utah’s I-15 express lanes more efficient and to reduce congestion, the state’s department of transportation is considering doubling flexible tolls from $1 to $2. That figure could be tripled to $3 should studies indicate congestion still won’t be reduced enough to make a significant impact on the current problem without a higher implemented fee.

For many, tolls are seen as a pain and just another expense to deal with on a daily basis. That said, in many cases, toll roads are absolutely essential in order to maintain functional highway infrastructures that normal state budgets and tax dollars simply can’t support on their own.

In fact, the history of the toll road is an intriguing one, dating back to Europe several centuries ago. In the United States, the concept was brought to fruition during the presidency of James Madison in the early 1800s. Until then, the roads were primarily built and managed by town governments with varying budgets and abilities to do such complicated work properly. This approach led to great inconsistencies and chaos.

Still, the toll road concept clearly took hold as a better solution for this and other street problems, and today in the United States toll roads are widespread and plentiful. Although we might think of toll roads as “everywhere,” out of more than 40,000 miles of Interstates in the United States, only about 2,000 miles are in fact toll roads, which are also commonly referred to as turnpikes.