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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOUTHERN CONNECTOR ANNOUNCES PLANNED
TOLL INCREASE
Greenville, SC - December 19, 2004 -
Motorists traveling on the Southern
Connector will experience a planned
toll increase beginning January 3,
2005. Two-axle vehicles will pay
$1.00 at the mainline toll plazas
versus the current $0.75 fee, while
multi-axle vehicles will pay $0.60
per axle versus the current $0.50
per axle fee.
The increase, which was a part of
the road's original financing plan,
was approved by the Department of
Transportation long before
construction of the Southern
Connector began. The increase is not
due to lack of traffic or revenue.
"To help minimize the cost to
customers, it is our hope that
motorists will sign up for a
Connector Palmetto Pass (Pal Pass)
to receive a 25 percent discount on
mainline tolls," explained Peter
Femia, executive vice
president/general manager of the
Connector 2000 Association.
Traffic continues to rise on the
road, with average daily
transactions in October totaling
15,578, a 13 percent increase from
October 2003 and monthly
transactions totaling 482,914,
representing the highest month on
record. In addition, the Connector
experienced a new record daily high
of 22,762 transactions on November
19th.
"Our traffic is steadily increasing
and we are operating 11 percent
under our operating budget," said
Femia. "With over 9,000 Pal Passes
in use I truly believe more people
are realizing the value and the ease
of traveling the Southern
Connector."
The 16-mile Southern Connector was
opened eight and a half months ahead
of schedule and under budget. The
road was built with private money
through a unique public-private
partnership. No tax money was used
for construction of the road.
The Southern Connector has been a
dream of Upstate South Carolina
officials for some 30 years as they
sought a way to help relieve
congestion on area Interstate
highways 85 and 385 and to open up a
significant portion of Southern
Greenville County to economic
development. |
