The Tacoma Narrows Bridge continues to raise its tolls, making it too costly to access the business, social, and educational hub of Tacoma by Gig Harbor residents, and the shopping centre of Gig Harbor by Tacoma residents.
The tolls were initially put in place to pay for the building of the second bridge across Puget Sound, but now the bridge is more than paid off after 11 years, and the tolls continue to rise for no benefit; the bridge has sustained no significant damages, nor has it needed any costly updates. If the tolls are only in place to pay for general up-keep on the bridge, they are far too high.
Is there a solution? Yes. Pierce County residents should have the opportunity to obtain a pass that allows them to cross the bridge free of charge, while anyone outside Pierce County must pay a toll when crossing the bridge. Anyone who does not have a pass will have to pay the toll. Thus, frequent users don't need to pay as they will have the pass, while those who aren't regular users will pay because they see no need to have the pass. That way, the owners can still make an income off of tolls, and the Pierce County residents aren't discouraged from using the bridge to enter Tacoma.
