Love them or hate them, toll roads are becoming the new trend across the nation.
Even here in the Rio Grande Valley with a new told road opening up at Paredes Line and FM 511 in Brownsville.
“The idea in using the overpass is to avoid the congestion at the intersection of FM 511 and Paredes line and to avoid the rail road tracks” said Pete Sepulveda with Cameron County's Regional Mobility Authority.
The toll for State Highway 550 will be all electronic.
Cameras just above the overpass will acted as a toll booth, taking pictures of who’s on the road.
Drivers will then get a bill in the mail.
Transportation authorities say this is only phase one of a much larger project.
They are hoping to have more toll roads up and running by summer of 2012.
“When it’s all complete, the idea is to take you from Highway 48 to 77 without having to stop at any traffic lights or major intersection” said Supulveda.
The public will still have the use of the free Frontage road if they don’t want to spend any money.
Right now transportation authorities are doing a trial run, testing the system to make sure there are no glitches.
Starting April 10th, drivers who pass through the toll will be charged fifty cents for passenger cars and $2 dollars for commercial vehicles.
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