Toll Roads Might Be Making Their Way To Michigan

The Michigan Department of Transportation is considering adding a few toll roads in the near future.

MDOT has been asked by Michigan lawmakers to do some research into putting a toll road in Michigan. Right now the only toll that you will pay in Michigan is crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, and I'm pretty sure that money gets put right back into bridge maintenance.

MDOT is going working to find out what positive and negative impacts a potential toll road would have. The money generated would obviously be a good thing to help fix Michigan's disastrous roads. This was actually a solution that many proposed to Governor Whitmer before the pandemic to replace her proposed gas tax.

Michigan has some very heavily traveled trucking routes that could make a huge revenue impact if a toll were placed correctly. There are many downsides to consider as well, like the impact a toll road would have on traffic. There are tolls that can be paid while driving, or paid when you exit the toll road. MDOT will have to consider all of the options before being able to make a good decision.

The subject of Michigan toll roads came up briefly in the last MDOT podcast.

Normally you can gauge how people would react to certain changes, but I have no idea what everyone thinks about a possible toll road in Michigan.

I think it's a great idea, and would be a much better way to generate revenue than taxing everyone at the pump. There are 35 states right now with toll roads, and I am willing to bet they are the smoothest 35 roads you can drive on. The beautiful part of a toll road is that there is always money coming in for repairs . . .and we all know many Michigan roads that need repairs.

What are your thoughts on a toll road in Michigan? Let me know in the comments below.