International Bridge Tolls Increase Sept. 1
EL PASO, TX. – Crossing over the international bridges into Mexico anytime soon? StartingSeptember 1st,crossers better have some extra cash intheir wallets.
It’s big news in a border city, starting Saturday, September 1st,southboundtolls are increasing at the Paso del Norte, Zaragosa and Stanton bridges. The good news is that the toll to cross as a pedestrian is not going to change, that toll will remain at $0.35 cents, but for regular vehicles the toll will be $2.25, that’s up from $1.65 and for commercial vehicles the cost is going up to $3.50 per axle and that’s up from $3.00 per axle.
Officials with the city say City Council raised the tolls for the 2008 fiscal budget, calling it a timely move whatwith gas prices and bridge construction. Officials say they understand a raise in prices never sounds good, but what residentswill be paying in El Paso is not unusual. What they pay in other cities is very similarandas for where the extra money will go, Katherine Palafox of the El Paso Streets Division said,
“It goes toward the capital projects for bridge maintenance and upkeep and the new projects and repairs for bridges. Also a lot of that funding, the money that they receive from the tolls,goes into the general fund. Basically, for the traffic coming over from Mexico, for street repairs.”
In other border cities, typical costs to cross as a pedestrian is usually around $0.50 cents,ElPasoansstill be paying $0.35 cents, which isquite a bit less. These new tolls are going to go into effect starting September 1st. The city says they can’t say when or if these tolls will be raised again.
