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Kaare’s News with a View:

There is talk of raising the toll on the Causeway bridge and the reason is simple.

The original Causeway span from 1956, or the southbound span, has original railings that aren’t tall enough.  Just about every vehicle that’s gone into the lake from the Causeway has done it from the southbound span.

The sad thing is some New Orleanians are already complaining about the proposed toll hike.

Have you heard the expression there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Back in 1956 when the original bridge opened, the toll was a dollar each way, or the exact same amount today, if you use a toll tag.  A recent study concluded over the last 60 years, with inflation factored in, the toll today should be around $18.

Now obviously that’s not going to happen.

But, if you ask yourself why we are still driving on the two original Causeway bridges, the answer is simple: we simply refuse to pay a reasonable toll to upgrade those structures. We’d rather pay 1956 prices and drive on a 1956-era bridge. It’s that simple.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.