If Michigan Had Toll Roads, This is How Much It Could Cost to Drive Across the State
Michigan has never seriously considered making our interstates toll roads as many other states have. But if we did, have you ever considered how much it could cost to drive across the state?
Pennsylvania, which maintains a statewide Turnpike system recently raised rates to the point that driving that state would cost $50.40, according to the York Daily Record. So what would the costs be if Michigan highways became toll roads?
Pennsylvania has, by a large margin, the highest per-mile toll rates in America at 17 center per mile according to a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
By those rates, the cost to drive north-to-south on Interstate 75, the longest interstate in Michigan would be $67.32 for the 396 mile trip. Note, for this article, we're not considering the cost of the Mackinac Bridge crossing.
If the 275 miles of Interstate 94 from New Buffalo to Port Huron were tolled at Pennsylvania-style rates, the east-west crossing of Michigan would be $46.75.
Most states toll their highways in the 5 (Florida's Turnpike, Indiana Toll Road, Kansas Turnpike, New York Thruway, Oklahoma Turnpike) 6 (Illinois Tollway, Mass Pike) or 7 cents (Ohio Turnpike) per mile rate.
Using a 6-cent-a-mile rate would put those trips across the state at $23.76 for I-75 and $16.50 for I-94.
How would your travel across Michigan change if the state would ever change to tolled interstates.