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Despite funding shortfalls, regional transportation plan creeps along
A several-billion-dollar projected shortfall is stalling work on the transportation plan to build a system that keeps people and goods moving throughout Maricopa County during the next two decades.
Toll gate, McDowell at Central
The toll road — Central Ave. (then called Center Street) north of McDowell — was built by the Central Avenue Driving Association. It was a dirt road, eight miles long and 100 feet wide, with a row of olive and ash trees on either side. Property owners north of the gate paid $2.50 a month for sprinkling and improvements. Buggies and wagons paid a 25 cent toll. Bicycles were free.
Toll roads still years away
The journey to privatized toll roads and pay-to-drive lanes in Arizona is a lot more like driving on a winding, mountain road than a sleek, open highway – slow and cautious, with an eye toward the pitfalls ahead.
