Back in 2009 the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition held a contest for videos featuring residents thoughts/gripes/love of North Texas traffic. It was all a big psyops for the pushing of the biggest scam in Fort Worth history (and I mean that).
NTTA Toll Roads
“Hey guys look at this I-35 4 lane highway… so crammed… we will come in and add toll lanes and redo the existing roads..
What do you get in the end?
4 lanes of traffic but now you get to pay for 2 of them if you want to use them!!!
EVEN BETTER…..
We get to change the price on the fly!!!! WHAT A DEAL! LUCKY YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
That’s what literally happened. They hyped it up and added ZERO lanes. 10 years of work and ultra-construction congestion…
If you drive North or South on I-35 in Fort Worth where downtown is (less than 5 miles) you will pay around $12.00 a trip (one way). And that’s on a good day.
I quite clearly remember the news stories where they told us “When there is heavy traffic we will reduce the cost to encourage toll road usage to clear the congestion”. They do JUST THE OPPOSITE.
Probably what chaps my ass about the whole thing is the ability for them to change the price at will.
NTTA makes about 1 billion a year in tolls (per their 2022 budget). They borrowed 9.5 billion to do it (in around 2011). They say that it will take until 2049 to pay that off). Do you think the toll roads will go free or be adjusted to just cover costs to maintain at that time? Ofcourse not. Infact, as they add new projects they can extend that pay off. This is a scam that is self-perpetual.
THEN to add salt to the wound… Texas is selling rights to existing toll roads to business to other countries. A company out of Mexico owns 7 toll roads in the Dallas area for 43 years. Where is that profit going?
Next twist… multiple entities own the various Toll Roads in DFW. TX-DOT operates the I-35 Toll Road (all under the NTTA name). Everyone wants in the money game.
This little rant is just something that eats at me everytime I have the misfortune to drive through Fort Worth. I am more angry at the Toll Road than the traffic.
