Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a fee, or 'toll'.
The practice probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large loads, ferry operators looked for new sources of revenue. Having built a bridge, they hoped to recoup their investment by charging tolls for people, animals, vehicles and goods to cross it.
Many of London's bridges across the River Thames started out as toll bridges but were taken over by the Metropolitan Board of Works during the 19th century. However, the practice of building bridges for private (or local authority) gain continues.
It has become increasingly common for a toll bridge to only charge a fee in one direction. This helps reduce the traffic backup in the other direction, and generally does not significantly reduce revenue, especially when those travelling the one direction are forced to come back over the same or a different toll bridge.
Modern examples of toll bridges
- Bosporus Bridge - over Bosphorus Strait between Ortaköy (Europe) and Beylerbeyi (Asia) in Istanbul, Turkey
- Severn Bridge - between England and Wales
- Dartford Crossing - over Thames, near Dartford in north Kent
- Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge - over Bosphorus Strait between Armutlu (Europe) and Kavacik (Asia) in Istanbul, Turkey
- Forth Road Bridge - over River Forth west of Edinburgh
- Golden Gate Bridge
- San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
- Mackinac Bridge --connecting the two peninsulas of Michigan
- Tobin Bridge - over Mystic River in Boston
- George Washington Bridge - over Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey
- Verrazano Narrows Bridge - connects Brooklyn to Staten Island in New York City
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel - connects Delmarva Peninsula to Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Confederation Bridge - connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island
See also