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Paying toll on passing a bridge.--From a painted window in the Tournai Cathedral (15th century).
Paying toll on passing a bridge. --From a painted window in the Tournai Cathedral (15th century). Our Lady of Flanders' Cathedral of Tournai is one of the most important architectural monuments in Belgium.

A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a fee, or toll. A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water Traffic on Roads may consist of Pedestrians ridden or herded Animals Vehicles Streetcars and other Conveyances either singly Some major facilities in combination with a tunnel are called a bridge-tunnel complex. See Toll road for more information. A toll road, (also known as a tollway, turnpike, pike, or toll highway, especially if it is constructed to Freeway standards

Contents

History

Toll booth at Mississippi River Bridge at St. Louis, Missouri U.S. Library of Congress
Toll booth at Mississippi River Bridge at St. Louis, Missouri U. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to S. Library of Congress

The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and As boats became impractical to carry large loads, ferry operators looked for new sources of revenue. Having built a bridge, they hoped to recoup their investment by charging tolls for people, animals, vehicles, and goods to cross it.

The original London Bridge across the river Thames opened as a toll bridge, but an accumulation of funds by the charitable trust that operated the bridge (Bridge House Estates) saw the charges dropped. London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The City Bridge Trust, is the working name of the grant-making arm of Bridge House Estates and was set up in 1995 Using interest on its capital assets, the trust now owns and runs all seven central London bridges at no cost to taxpayers or users.

In the United States, private ownership of toll bridges peaked in the mid-19th century, and by the turn of the 20th century most toll bridges were taken over by state highway departments. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The twentieth century of the Common Era began on In some instances, a quasi-governmental authority was formed, and toll revenue bonds were issued to raise funds for construction and/or operation of the facility. A toll revenue bond is a financial Promissory note usually issued to generate funds for the construction and/or operation of a public accommodation such as an Expressway

Removal/continuation of tolls

In some instances, tolls have been removed after retirement of the toll revenue bonds issued to raise funds for construction and/or operation of the facility. A toll revenue bond is a financial Promissory note usually issued to generate funds for the construction and/or operation of a public accommodation such as an Expressway Examples include the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge in Richmond, Virginia which carries U.S. Route 1 across the James River, and the 4. The Robert E Lee Memorial Bridge in Richmond Virginia carries U This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. US Route 1 (US 1 is a major north-south US Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source 5-mile long James River Bridge 80 miles downstream which carries U.S. Highway 17 across the river of the same name near its mouth at Hampton Roads. The James River Bridge is a four-lane Divided highway Lift bridge across the James River in the U US Route 17 (also known as the Coastal Highway) is a north-south United States highway. Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the USA. In other cases, especially major facilities such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Maryland, and the George Washington Bridge over Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, the continued collection of tolls provides a dedicated source of funds for ongoing maintenance and improvements. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span Bridge in the U Annapolis is the capital of the US state of Maryland, as well as the County seat of Anne Arundel County. The George Washington Bridge (known informally as the GW Bridge, the GWB, the GW, or the George) is a Suspension bridge spanning The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami The City of New York New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States.

Toll plaza at the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara County, New York U.S. Library of Congress
Toll plaza at the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara County, New York U. Niagara (electoral district Niagara County is a County located in the U S. Library of Congress

Sometimes citizens revolt against toll plazas, as was the case in Jacksonville, Florida. Tolls were in place on four bridges crossing the St. Johns River, including I-95. These tolls paid for the respective bridges as well as many other highway projects. As Jacksonvile continued to grow, the tolls created bottlenecks on the roadway. In 1988, Jacksonville voters chose to eliminate all the toll booths and replace the revenue with a ½ cent sales tax increase. In 1989, the toll booths were removed, 36 years after the first toll booth went up.

In Scotland, the Scottish Parliament purchased the Skye Bridge from its owners in late 2004, ending the requirement to pay an unpopular expensive toll to cross to Skye from the mainland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Skye Bridge is a Road bridge over Loch Alsh, connecting mainland Highland with the Isle of Skye, Scotland. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Toll collection

It has become increasingly common for a toll bridge to only charge a fee in one direction. This helps reduce the traffic congestion in the other direction, and generally does not significantly reduce revenue, especially when those traveling the one direction are forced to come back over the same or a different toll bridge.

Toll avoidance: shunpiking

A practice known as shunpiking evolved which entails finding another route for the specific purpose of avoiding payment of tolls. The term shunpiking comes from the word shun, meaning "to avoid" and pike, a term referring to Turnpikes which were roads which required

In some situations where the tolls were increased or felt to be unreasonably high, informal shunpiking by individuals escalated into a form of boycott by regular users, with the goal of applying the financial stress of lost toll revenue to the authority determining the levy. A boycott is a form of Consumer activism involving the act of voluntarily abstaining from using buying or dealing with someone or some other organization as an expression of

Toll rates at Connecticut River Bridge between New Hampshire and Vermont U.S. Library of Congress
Toll rates at Connecticut River Bridge between New Hampshire and Vermont U. The Connecticut River is the largest River in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. S. Library of Congress

One such example of shunpiking as a form of boycott occurred at the James River Bridge in eastern Virginia. The James River Bridge is a four-lane Divided highway Lift bridge across the James River in the U The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state After years of lower than anticipated revenues on the narrow privately funded structure built in 1928, the state of Virginia finally purchased the facility in 1949 and increased the tolls in 1955 without visibly improving the roadway, with the notable exception of a new toll plaza.

The increased toll rates incensed the public and business users alike. In a well-publicized example of shunpiking, Joseph W. The term shunpiking comes from the word shun, meaning "to avoid" and pike, a term referring to Turnpikes which were roads which required Luter Jr. , head of Smithfield Packing Company, the producer of world-famous Smithfield Hams, ordered his truck drivers to take a different route and cross a smaller and cheaper bridge. Smithfield Packing Company was founded in 1936 by Joseph W Luter and his son Joseph W Country ham or Virginia ham is a variety of cured ham from the United States, associated with the Southern United States. Tolls continued for 20 more years, and were finally removed from the old bridge in 1975 when construction began on a toll-free replacement structure.

Historic examples of toll bridges

Europe

Ireland

Dublin's famous Ha'penny Bridge
Dublin's famous Ha'penny Bridge

England

North America

See also

The following is a list of toll bridges. Toll bridges are bridges upon which traffic may pass upon payment of a fee or a toll.

Dictionary

toll bridge

-noun

  1. a bridge at which a toll is charged for passage
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