Tollway

Great article in MCS about the new PUD approved (by the Commissioners) for the area of FL 16 and CR 315 across from the CC Fair Grounds.

The planned unit development, or PUD, will be phased in over 20 years, but construction is not expected to get under way any time soon, said project planner Susan Fraser.

"The viability of this is ... tied to the Outer Beltway," she said.

Commissioner Christy Fitzgerald, whose district includes the site, said she was "very excited" at the prospect.

"Hopefully, it will bring high-powered jobs [and] have a magic wand for that," she said. 

In my travels which have been extensive throughout this great land of ours I plan my route using interstates when possible and looking for what appears to be the best route. Some prove to be better than others, for example: Approaching Atlanta on I-75 there is a “By-Pass to Florida”. WRONG, it is a very long way around, kind of like trying to scratch your elbow by reaching behind your back. Much better to time the trip to cross Atlanta at Non-Rush Hour and just sail straight through downtown. When faced with a toll-road I gladly pay the toll to ease the trip. When I go to Disney World I pick up Florida’s Turnpike at I-75, pay the toll and I’m there.

Some confusion apparently arose over toll collection at last night's D5 debate over toll collection. Let me try to straighten it out -  

If the Outer Tollway gets built be assured toll collection will be open road and all electronic. In other words, tolling will be totally automatic without collectors, plazas or tollbooths. It will be done using either of two mechanisms:

1) Frequent users will likely purchase and mount a Florida's Turnpike Enterprise  (FTE) SunPass Transponder, or its successor, a "sticker tag". Tolling will be done via ramp gantries - overhead assemblies that 'read' the transponders as the vehicle enters and leaves the roadway. A toll based on entry point, exit point and mileage driven (and eventually also Time of Day - you'll pay more during rush hour). 

First of all, hats off to Mike Heemer for his well-reasoned analysis of the likely actual effect of the Outer Tollway.

One detail deserves clarification and further analysis - the property tax exemption issue. Mike noted that we (local government) would forego property tax on the land and road for 3-5 years and then in theory hope to make up for that via the increased development the tollway would induce.

Actually, the proposed exemption is much more enduring than the mere 3-5 years of Tollway construction. FDOT wants, but lacks statutory authority to offer the Public-Private-Partner (PPP) an exemption from paying property tax for the life of the toll concession. That is expected to be 60-75 years. The total value of such an exemption is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars, per a Times Union article detailing the reasons behind the current hold on the Tollway project. In other words, FDOT wants the next legislative session in Tallahassee to pass a law requiring local governments to forego property taxes on the Tollway and its underlying lands for the entire 60-75 year life of the toll concession.