NEW ORLEANS -- A new report by the Bureau of Governmental Research recommends state lawmakers allow the tolls on the Crescent City Connection to expire at the end of next year, agreeing with critics who say the tolls paid by CCC motorists should not fund other transportation projects.
“The recommendation flows from two key findings: that the Crescent City Connection (CCC) is the only Mississippi River bridge in Louisiana that tolls its users, and that only a small portion of toll revenue goes to the operation and maintenance of the bridge,” according to the BGR report.
The tolls, set to expire Dec. 31, 2012, have been the subject of criticism from some lawmakers who say the money should not be used to fund a wide range of Dept. of Transportation and Development projects, and not just the bridge across the Mississippi River. The tolls also fund the three ferry lines in the metro area and a special police force dedicated to the bridge.
Tolls account for more than 75 percent of the funding for the Crescent City Connection Division of DOTD, which operates the bridge and three New Orleans-area river ferries, according to the BGR report.
