Toll Roads

November 16, 2009

You may Listen or download this story in .mp3 format. or as a .wav file

Profile America — Monday, November 16th. A device many of us resent — but which saves a lot of time — first went into service this week in 1954 — the automatic toll collection machine. It was installed at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway. Motorists dropped coins into a wire mesh hopper, triggering a green light that told them to go ahead. The idea soon caught on at toll roads around the country, reducing the number of booth attendants and speeding cars on their way. Many toll roads now offer electronic devices that allow motorists to pay their fee without stopping. There are more than 4,800 miles of toll roads in the U.S. — a tiny fraction of the more than 4 million miles of roads crisscrossing the nation. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 554
www.fhwa.dot.gov
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1049
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html