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85-735: The West Gate Distributor was a proposed toll road in Melbourne , Australia , to provide access between the West Gate Freeway and the Port of Melbourne , primarily for heavy freight vehicles. The project was eventually scrapped in favour of a similar project known as the Western Distributor (now known as the West Gate Tunnel , which is currently under construction). The project, estimated to cost $ 680 million,

170-602: A flat fee either when they enter or when they exit the toll road. In a variant of the closed toll system, mainline barriers are present at the two endpoints of the toll road, and each interchange has a ramp toll that is paid upon exit or entry. In this case, a motorist pays a flat fee at the ramp toll and another flat fee at the end of the toll road; no ticket is necessary. In addition, with most systems, motorists may pay tolls only with cash or change; debit and credit cards are not accepted. However, some toll roads may have travel plazas with ATMs so motorists can stop and withdraw cash for

255-728: A four-lane divided road, new traffic signals at Moreland Street's intersection with Footscray Road, Parker Street and Whitehall Street, and the widening and strengthening of Shepherd's Bridge over the Maribyrnong River . A new cycle and pedestrian bridge would also be built alongside Shepherd's Bridge. A contract for stage one was awarded to Fulton Hogan in December 2015; construction was expected to begin in April 2016 and be complete by mid-2017. Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said some properties would be affected by construction, but said

340-464: A general fund by local governments, not being earmarked for transport facilities. This is sometimes limited or prohibited by central government legislation. Also, road congestion pricing schemes have been implemented in a limited number of urban areas as a transportation demand management tool to try to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution . Toll roads have existed for at least the last 2,700 years, as tolls had to be paid by travellers using

425-448: A giant horseshoe bend, before winding south again at Brimbank Park . Here the river flows 55 metres (180 ft) below the western plains. Brimbank Park forms a huge amphitheatre in the bend in the river with picnic areas, cycle and walking trails, and a café, that is usually busy on weekends and holidays. The area is rich in birdlife and native fauna. The Maribyrnong River Trail shared path starts at Brimbank Park, following mostly beside

510-437: A practice that continued with the automobile, and many modern tollways charge fees for motor vehicles exclusively. The amount of the toll usually varies by vehicle type, weight, or number of axles , with freight trucks often charged higher rates than cars. Tolls are often collected at toll plazas, toll booths , toll houses , toll stations, toll bars, toll barriers, or toll gates. Some toll collection points are automatic, and

595-442: A specific infrastructure (e.g. roads, bridges). These concepts were widely used until the last century. However, the evolution in technology made it possible to implement road tolling policies based on different concepts. The different charging concepts are designed to suit different requirements regarding purpose of the charge, charging policy, the network to the charge, tariff class differentiation, et cetera: Some toll roads charge

680-743: A switch in strategy by Labor leader Daniel Andrews , who in October 2012 had spoken in favour of a second major river crossing in Melbourne's inner western suburbs to provide a road alternative to the West Gate Bridge. Andrews had criticised the Government's staging of the East West Link—announced a month earlier—and urged that the western part of the project should proceed first. From mid-2013 Andrews began opposing construction of

765-604: A toll in only one direction. Examples include the Sydney Harbour Bridge , Sydney Harbour Tunnel , and Eastern Distributor (these all charge tolls city-bound) in Australia, in the United States, crossings between Pennsylvania and New Jersey operated by Delaware River Port Authority and crossings between New Jersey and New York operated by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . This technique

850-473: Is Woiwurrung for river, as seen in the names of other watercourses in the area, such as; Koonung Creek and Birrarung ). Marriburnong is an alternate spelling listed on a map dated from 1840. The inner western and north-western suburbs of Melbourne are located in the vicinity of the Maribyrnong River and the river has given its name to the suburb of Maribyrnong and the local government area,

935-529: Is likely to have explored up the river in early 1835. With the establishment of the colony of Melbourne later that year, sheep runs were soon established by Edmund Davis Fergusson and Michael Solomon in the Avondale and Sunshine areas. On Solomon's sheep station the ford now near the west end of Canning Street in Avondale Heights soon became known as Solomon's Ford . This was the lowest crossing on

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1020-603: Is practical where the detour to avoid the toll is large or the toll differences are small. Traditionally, tolls were paid by hand at a toll gate. Although payments may still be made in cash, it is more common now to pay using an electronic toll collection system. In some places, payment is made using transponders which are affixed to the windscreen. Three systems of toll roads exist: open (with mainline barrier toll plazas ); closed (with entry/exit tolls); and open road (no toll booths, only electronic toll collection gantries at entrances and exits or at strategic locations on

1105-564: Is the largest ETC system in the U.S., and is used for both fully tolled highways and tolled express lanes. Maryland Route 200 and the Triangle Expressway in North Carolina were the first toll roads built without toll booths, with drivers charged via ETC or by optical license plate recognition and are billed by mail. In addition, many older toll roads are also being upgraded to an all-electronic tolling system, abandoning

1190-469: The 2014 state election , and said the road would be completed by 2018. The project would have involved the construction of new lanes on a section of the West Gate Freeway and on-ramps and off-ramps connecting to a new elevated road along Hyde Street, Yarraville . The route was to continue along a widened Whitehall Street and Moreland Street towards Footscray Road, from which trucks could enter

1275-922: The Australian state of Victoria . The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near Mount Macedon within the Macedon Ranges , part of the Great Dividing Range . Formed by the confluence of the Jackson Creek and the Deep Creek below Taylors Lakes , the river flows generally southward, joined by two minor tributaries before reaching its confluence with the Yarra River at Yarraville , to eventually empty into Port Phillip. The river descends 42 metres (138 ft) over its 40-kilometre (25 mi) course . The head of

1360-662: The City of Maribyrnong . The Maribyrnong River valley has been home for the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation for up to 40,000 years. Human remains dated at least 15,000–years–old have been found along the river, with much older signs of human habitation also present. The first Europeans to explore along the river were the party led by Charles Grimes , Deputy Surveyor-General of New South Wales , in February 1803. John Batman

1445-667: The Flemington Racecourse is only metres down river from Pipemakers Park and Burndap Park, the river then meanders across the floodplain to its juncture with the Yarra River at Yarraville. The water quality of these estuarine reaches of the river is poor. Sediments show considerable pollution from past industrial activities and sewage discharge from the 20th century. Today, swimming is not recommended due to exposure to untreated sewage in run-off from these heavily urbanised areas. The geographic features and tributaries of

1530-975: The Maine Turnpike in 1947, the Blue Star Turnpike in 1950, the New Jersey Turnpike in 1951, the Garden State Parkway in 1952, the West Virginia Turnpike and New York State Thruway in 1954, the Massachusetts Turnpike in 1957, and the Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road in 1958. Other toll roads were also established around this time. With the establishment of the Interstate Highway System in

1615-695: The Susa – Babylon highway under the regime of Ashurbanipal , who reigned in the seventh century BC. Aristotle and Pliny refer to tolls in Arabia and other parts of Asia. In India, before the fourth century BC, the Arthashastra notes the use of tolls. Germanic tribes charged tolls to travellers across mountain passes . Most roads were not freely open to travel on in Europe during the Middle Ages, and

1700-591: The West African kingdom of Dahomey , toll booths were also established with the function of collecting yearly taxes based on the goods carried by the people of Dahomey and their occupation. In some cases, officials imposed fines for public nuisance before allowing people to pass. Industrialisation in Europe needed major improvements to the transport infrastructure which included many new or substantially improved roads, financed from tolls. The A5 road in Britain

1785-537: The short-finned eel , tupong, short-headed lamprey , Australian grayling , southern black bream , common galaxias , broad-finned galaxias and spotted galaxias . Starfish may also be found in the river. Introduced species include the red fox , European rabbit , and feral cat . While introduced birds include the song thrush , common blackbird , wild chantelle, common angie, common myna , common starling , house sparrow , spotted turtle dove , rock pigeon , and mallard . Common carp have also been introduced to

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1870-503: The toll was one of many feudal fees paid for rights of usage in everyday life. Some major European "highways", such as the Via Regia and Via Imperii , offered protection to travelers in exchange for paying the royal toll. Many modern European roads were originally constructed as toll roads in order to recoup the costs of construction and maintenance, and to generate revenue from passing travelers. In 14th-century England, some of

1955-416: The "closed motorway system" (km travelled) or through the "open motorway system" (flat-rate toll). Given the multiplicity of operators, the toll is only requested when exiting the motorway and not when the motorway operator changes. This system was made possible following article 14 of law 531 of 12 August 1982. From a technical point of view, however, the mixed barrier/free-flow system is active where, at

2040-474: The 19th century. Roads radiating from Toronto required users to pay at toll gates along the street ( Yonge Street , Bloor Street , Davenport Road , Kingston Road ) but the toll gates disappeared after 1895. In the eastern United States of the 18th and 19th century, hundreds of private turnpikes were created to facilitate travel between towns and cities, typically outside built-up areas. 19th-century plank roads were usually operated as toll roads. One of

2125-544: The BOT arrangement, a few of the older toll roads in these states are still operated by public authorities. In France, some toll roads are operated by private or public companies, with specific taxes collected by the state. Maribyrnong River The Maribyrnong River / ˈ m æ r ə b ə n ɒ ŋ / is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the north–western suburbs of Melbourne , in

2210-528: The BOT methodology for future highway projects. The more traditional means of managing toll roads in the United States is through semi-autonomous public authorities . Kansas , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , and West Virginia manage their toll roads in this manner. While most of the toll roads in California, Delaware, Florida, Texas, and Virginia are operating under

2295-547: The Maribyrnong River. The Organ Pipes National Park can be found adjacent to the Jackson Creek, near the Calder Freeway , with picnic facilities and a prominent display of basaltic columns a geological formation, so named because they look like organ pipes . Swimming occurs in these upper reaches of the river, but is not recommended. The river flows south and west. At Keilor the river winds back on itself in

2380-555: The Maribyrnong catchment is situated in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria around 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Melbourne City Centre . Various creeks beginning in the southern Mount Macedon area flow into Riddells Creek which in turn flows into the Jackson Creek. The Jackson Creek starts its journey northwest of Gisborne , 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Melbourne CBD. The other major tributary of

2465-458: The Maribyrnong is Deep Creek, which also has its headwaters in the northern and eastern parts of the Macedon Ranges. The creek has cut a deep valley through the surrounding basalt plains in its southward course, in particular as it flows through localities such as Konagaderra and Bulla . To the west of Melbourne Airport the tributaries of the Jackson Creek and the Deep Creek conjoin to form

2550-471: The Saltwater (Maribyrnong) River, and the furthest inland point of tidal influence. Batman is believed to have crossed the river at this point probably in the well worn steps of Aboriginals. It was for many years the only way from Melbourne to Geelong and land west. During the second half of the 19th century much of Melbourne's industry was located along the river, and the water became very degraded. With

2635-793: The South to the North. The road connects the southwest of the city, including the Sea Port area, with the Ring Road, Vasilievsky Island, Kurortny district and the Scandinavia motorway. The WHSD is divided into three sections: Southern, Central and Northern. The entire stretch of the WHSD was opened for traffic in 2016. There are 16 toll plazas on the WHSD. Paying toll by transponder is mostly recommended for frequent drivers. The Flow+ toll collection system

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2720-464: The U.S. saw large road building projects in major urban areas. Electronic toll collection, first introduced in the 1980s, reduces operating costs by removing toll collectors from roads. Tolled express lanes, by which certain lanes of a freeway are designated "toll only", increases revenue by allowing a free-to-use highway to collect revenue by allowing drivers to bypass traffic jams by paying a toll. The E-ZPass system, compatible with many state systems,

2805-650: The West Gate Distributor project were announced on 19 November 2013 as part of the Labor Party's Project 10,000 transport plan, which promised a range of major road and rail improvements that would provide a transport alternative to the Coalition government's East West Link toll road. Labor said the projects would create a total of 10,000 construction jobs in Victoria. An artist's representation of

2890-533: The West Gate Distributor would remove 5000 trucks a day from the West Gate Bridge, citing traffic modelling that showed about 4130 trucks a day travelled to the port's Swanson-Dynon precinct from the west, and that only 30 percent of them—about 1240 trucks—approached by the West Gate Freeway. Western suburbs advocacy group LeadWest has claimed the bypass could backfire, pushing more trucks on to residential streets in Yarraville and Footscray. A spokesman said LeadWest

2975-533: The West Gate Freeway and merge with westbound freeway traffic. Lanes were also to be added in each direction on the West Gate Freeway between Williamstown Road and the Western Ring Road . Labor's plan was based on a proposal in Sir Rod Eddington's 2008 East-West Link Needs Assessment report , which had recommended the implementation of a Truck Action Plan that would include a new link from

3060-477: The West Gate Freeway to the port via Hyde Street in a bid to reduce truck movements on Francis Street and Somerville Road. The Truck Action Plan was a supplement to a new 18 km east–west cross-city road link. The Eddington study had found that total daily truck movements to and from the Port of Melbourne could more than double from 9000 to 23,000 by 2035. The announcement of the West Gate Distributor project marked

3145-497: The beltways around some larger cities ( tangenziali ) which are not part of a thoroughfare motorway, and the Autostrada A2 between Salerno and Reggio di Calabria which is operated by the government-owned ANAS . Both are toll free. On Italian motorways, the toll applies to almost all motorways not managed by Anas . The collection of motorway tolls, from a tariff point of view, is managed mainly in two ways: either through

3230-766: The brand I-Pass in Illinois ) is accepted on almost all toll roads. Similar systems include SunPass in Florida , FasTrak in California , Good to Go in Washington state , and ExpressToll in Colorado . The systems use a small radio transponder mounted in or on a customer's vehicle to deduct toll fares from a pre-paid account as the vehicle passes through the toll barrier. This reduces manpower at toll booths and increases traffic flow and fuel efficiency by reducing

3315-461: The centre of the city tolled. In the United States, as states looked for ways to construct new freeways without federal funding again, to raise revenue for continued road maintenance, and to control congestion, new toll road construction saw significant increases during the first two decades of the 21st century. Spurred on by two innovations, the electronic toll collection system, and the advent of high-occupancy and express lane tolls , many areas of

3400-590: The closure of many industries since the 1960s and 1970s, much river front land has opened up to parkland and highly sought after residential estates. As the second major river in metropolitan Melbourne, the Maribyrnong plays a very important part in Melbourne's recreation. Boating , cycling along its bike paths such as the Maribyrnong River Trail, fishing, and walking . Light bushwalking can also be done and nature watchers can observe Australian native fauna such as echidna , wallabies as well as

3485-631: The construction area is contaminated by dangerous materials including demolition waste that would require cleaning up and delay the project. It said plans to fast-track the work could also be jeopardised because large areas near the bridge and Stony Creek had been classified as areas of cultural heritage sensitivity. The area was reported to have once been used as a food and water source by the Boonwurrung people. Toll road Toll roads have existed in some form since antiquity , with tolls levied on passing travelers on foot, wagon, or horseback;

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3570-410: The distance travelled. Motorway barriers are arranged along the route (however not at every junction), at which the user pays a fixed sum, depending only on the class of the vehicle. The user can therefore travel along sections of the motorway without paying any toll as the barriers may not be present on the section travelled. Road tolls were levied traditionally for a specific access (e.g. city) or for

3655-485: The entire East West Link. While still in opposition, Andrews announced in September 2014 that the project was " shovel ready " and "ready to go" and that if elected, a Labor government would release the expressions of interest for the project by Australia Day 2015. In January the government called for expressions of interest in stage one, the northern section. That work would involve widening of Moreland Street to provide

3740-406: The entrance and exit from the motorways, there are lanes dedicated to the collection of a ticket (on entry) and the delivery of the ticket with simultaneous payment (on exit) and other lanes where, during transit without the need to stop, an electronic toll system present in the vehicles records the data and debits the toll, generally into the bank account previously communicated by the customer, to

3825-642: The event includes the first quarter collected at its toll booths. The first major deployment of an RFID electronic toll collection system in the United States was on the Dallas North Tollway in 1989 by Amtech (see TollTag ). The Amtech RFID technology used on the Dallas North Tollway was originally developed at Sandia Labs for use in tagging and tracking livestock. In the same year, the Telepass active transponder RFID system

3910-402: The expenses by introducing a toll. It was followed by Greece, which made users pay for the network of motorways around and between its cities in 1927. Later in the 1950s and 1960s, France, Spain, and Portugal started to build motorways largely with the aid of concessions, allowing rapid development of this infrastructure without massive state debts. Since then, road tolls have been introduced in

3995-549: The first US motor roads, the Long Island Motor Parkway (which opened on October 10, 1908) was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt . The road was closed in 1938 when it was taken over by the state of New York in lieu of back taxes. The first toll road in St. Petersburg appeared in the 2000s. The Western High-Speed Diameter (WHSD) is a multilane motorway running from

4080-513: The first built in the world, connecting Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore , and now parts of the Autostrada A8 and Autostrada A9 , was devised by Piero Puricelli and was inaugurated in 1924. Piero Puricelli, a civil engineer and entrepreneur, received the first authorization to build a public-utility fast road in 1921, and completed the construction (one lane in each direction) between 1924 and 1926. Piero Puricelli decided to cover

4165-467: The highway the first all-automated toll highway in the world. A bill is mailed monthly for usage of the 407. Lower charges are levied on frequent 407 users who carry electronic transponders in their vehicles. The approach has not been without controversy: In 2003 the 407 ETR settled a class action with a refund to users. Throughout most of the East Coast of the United States, E-ZPass (operated under

4250-405: The highway. In some cases, the ticket displays the toll to be paid on exit. Upon exit, the driver must pay the amount listed for the given exit. Should the ticket be lost, a driver must typically pay the maximum amount possible for travel on that highway. Short toll roads with no intermediate entries or exits may have only one toll plaza at one end, with motorists travelling in either direction paying

4335-732: The hybrid systems they adopted during the late 20th century. These include the Massachusetts Turnpike , one of the oldest American toll roads, which went all-electronic in 2016, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike , America's oldest toll freeway, which went all-electronic in 2020, along with the Illinois Tollway , which both accelerated their transitions to such due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Turnpike trusts were established in England and Wales from about 1706 in response to

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4420-467: The late 1950s, toll road construction in the U.S. slowed down considerably, as the federal government now provided the bulk of funding to construct new freeways, and regulations required that such Interstate highways be free from tolls. Many older toll roads were added to the Interstate System under a grandfather clause that allowed tolls to continue to be collected on toll roads that predated

4505-400: The mainline toll plazas (toll barriers). It is also possible for motorists to enter an 'open toll road' after one toll barrier and exit before the next one, thus travelling on the toll road toll-free. Most open toll roads have ramp tolls or partial access junctions to prevent this practice, known in the U.S. as " shunpiking ". With a closed toll system, vehicles collect a ticket when entering

4590-523: The maintenance and improvement of most of the main roads in England and Wales, which were used to distribute agricultural and industrial goods economically. The tolls were a source of revenue for road building and maintenance, paid for by road users and not from general taxation. The turnpike trusts were gradually abolished from the 1870s. Most trusts improved existing roads, but some new roads, usually only short stretches, were also built. Thomas Telford 's Holyhead road followed Watling Street from London but

4675-542: The majority of the EU member states. In the United States, prior to the introduction of the Interstate Highway System and the large federal grants supplied to states to build it, many states constructed their first freeways by floating bonds backed by toll revenues. The first major fully grade separated toll road was the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940. This was followed up by other toll roads, such as

4760-461: The manager of his device. In Italy, this occurs through the Autostrade per l'Italia interchange system. The Autostrada A36 , Autostrada A59 and Autostrada A60 are exclusively free-flow. On these motorways, those who do not have the electronic toll device on board must proceed with the payment by subsequently communicating the data to the motorway manager (by telephone, online or by going to

4845-409: The median of the road). Some toll roads use a combination of the three systems. On an open toll system, all vehicles stop at various locations along the highway to pay a toll. (This is different from "open road tolling", where no vehicles stop to pay a toll.) While this may save money from the lack of need to construct toll booths at every exit, it can cause traffic congestion while traffic queues at

4930-473: The most heavily used roads were repaired with money raised from tolls by pavage grants. Widespread toll roads sometimes restricted traffic so much, by their high tolls, that they interfered with trade and cheap transportation needed to alleviate local famines or shortages. Tolls were used in the Holy Roman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries. After significant road construction undertaken by

5015-423: The motorways subject to toll payment must only proceed at a maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour (20 mph) without the need to stop. The amount is directly proportional to the distance travelled by the vehicle, the coefficient of its class and a variable coefficient from motorway to motorway, called the kilometre rate. Unlike the closed motorway system, in the open system, the road user does not pay based on

5100-549: The need for better roads than the few and poorly-maintained tracks then available. Turnpike trusts were set up by individual Acts of Parliament , with powers to collect road tolls to repay loans for building, improving, and maintaining the principal roads in Britain . At their peak, in the 1830s, over 1,000 trusts administered around 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of turnpike road in England and Wales, taking tolls at almost 8,000 toll-gates. The trusts were ultimately responsible for

5185-409: The need for complete stops to pay tolls at these locations. By designing a toll gate specifically for electronic collection, it is possible to carry out open-road tolling, where the customer does not need to slow at all when passing through the toll gate. The U.S. state of Texas is using a system that has no toll booths. Drivers without a TollTag have their license plate photographed automatically and

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5270-643: The northeastern United States, the InterCounty Connector ( Maryland Route 200 ) was partially opened to traffic in February 2011, and the final segment was completed in November 2014. The first section of another all-electronic toll road, the Triangle Expressway , opened at the beginning of 2012 in North Carolina. Some toll roads are managed under such systems as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system. Private companies build

5355-400: The number of acquisitions would not be revealed until the "preferred alignment" was finalised. Earlier planning for the Brumby government's 2008 Victorian Transport Plan , which had incorporated Eddington's Truck Action Plan, had suggested that up to 21 homes and 22 business properties would need to be acquired for road widening. The Victorian Coalition government disputed Labor's claim that

5440-399: The offices dedicated to payment). The closed motorway system is applied to most Italian motorways. It requires the driver of the vehicle to collect a special ticket at the entrance to the motorway and pay the amount due upon exit. If equipped with an electronic toll system the two procedures are completely automatic and the driver on the detection lanes located at the entrances and exits from

5525-455: The original interstate system funding. Houston's outer beltway of interconnected toll roads began in 1983, and many states followed over the last two decades of the 20th century adding new toll roads, including the tollway system around Orlando, Florida , Colorado's E-470 , and Georgia State Route 400 . London, in an effort to reduce traffic within the city, instituted the London congestion charge in 2003, effectively making all roads within

5610-486: The port precinct. The government awarded a contract in December 2015 for the first stage of the project, which was for road widening, signalling and bridge works, and that work was completed in mid-2017. Plans for further work on the project were abandoned when the government opted in April 2017 to instead proceed with a rival project, the $ 5.5 billion West Gate Tunnel , which was an unsolicited proposal by infrastructure company Transurban revealed in March 2015. Plans for

5695-489: The project, expressing concern over the potential for traffic confusion resulting from a " spaghetti junction " of ramps between Williamstown Road and the West Gate Bridge. RACV policy manager Brian Negus said the motoring lobby group was waiting to see the detail "because thus far, we've only seen a couple of pages from Labor prior to the election and that doesn't give us good detail". The Herald Sun has reported that documents prepared by unnamed "environmental agencies" show

5780-454: The registered owner will receive a monthly bill, at a higher rate than those vehicles with TollTags. A similar variation of automatic collection is the Toll Roads in Orange County, CA, US, wherein all entry or collection points are equipped with high-speed cameras which read license plates and users will have 7 calendar days to pay online using their plate number or else set up an account for automatic debits. The first all-electronic toll road in

5865-407: The river are listed below, tributaries in bold: The river was initially named Saltwater River by early settlers, due to the tidal nature of its lower reaches. The name Maribyrnong however, is derived from either mirring-gnay-bir-nong which in Woiwurrung , the language of the local Wurundjeri people, is said to mean "I can hear a ringtail possum" or "saltwater river" ( Gunung or Gunnung

5950-458: The river is not permitted downstream of the Canning Street bridge in Avondale Heights. The river becomes esturarine as it flows through Avondale Heights. At Maribyrnong, Melbourne's Living Museum of the West presents information on the history of the river and the early industrial history of the site. Dolphins are sometimes sighted in the lower reaches of the river, along with many water birds, especially at Burndap Park. Footscray Park opposite

6035-410: The river to near its confluence with the Yarra River in Footscray . At Avondale Heights and Essendon West residents have views over the river valley to the skyscrapers of the Melbourne CBD. Up until this area, the Maribyrnong is unusual in being one of the few large basaltic streams in Victoria. The Maribyrnong is a freshwater river as far downstream as Solomon's Ford, Avondale Heights. Swimming in

6120-448: The river. Native reptile species include eastern brown snakes , tiger snakes , skinks , and common snakeneck turtles . Native birds include the eastern whipbird , cockatoo , rainbow lorikeet , galah , brown falcon , peregrine falcon , square-tailed kite , royal spoonbill , black swan , Pacific black duck , little pied cormorant , moorhen , and long-billed corella . There are various native frogs and native fish species include

6205-564: The road contained in the Project 10,000 public document showed a two-lane off-ramp for eastbound freeway traffic, located east of the Westgate golf course and Williamstown railway line. The off-ramp continued as an elevated two-lane road that crosses Stony Creek and swept northwards to merge with Hyde Street, south of Francis Street. A parallel two-lane road was to allow southbound vehicles on Hyde Street to exit, then cross Stony Creek, pass under

6290-647: The roads and are given a limited franchise. Ownership is transferred to the government when the franchise expires. This type of arrangement is prevalent in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines . The BOT system is a fairly new concept that is becoming more popular in the United States, with California , Delaware , Florida , Illinois , Indiana , Mississippi , Texas , and Virginia already building and operating toll roads under this scheme. Pennsylvania , Massachusetts , New Jersey , and Tennessee are also considering

6375-569: The system. Some of these such as the Connecticut Turnpike and the Richmond–Petersburg Turnpike later removed their tolls when the initial bonds were paid off. Many states, however, have maintained the tolling of these roads as a consistent source of revenue. As the Interstate Highway System approached completion during the 1980s, states began constructing toll roads again to provide new freeways which were not part of

6460-515: The toll, and the cost of the toll booth operators—up to about one-third of revenue in some cases. Automated toll-paying systems help minimise both of these. Others object to paying "twice" for the same road, namely in fuel taxes and in tolls. In addition to toll roads, toll bridges and toll tunnels are also used by public authorities to generate funds to repay the cost of building the structures. Some tolls are set aside to pay for future maintenance or enhancement of infrastructure, or are applied as

6545-597: The tolls. The toll is calculated by the distance travelled on the toll road or the specific exit chosen. In the United States, for instance, the Kansas Turnpike , Ohio Turnpike , New Jersey Turnpike , most of the Indiana Toll Road , New York State Thruway , and Florida's Turnpike currently implement closed systems. The Union Toll Plaza on the Garden State Parkway was the first ever to use an automated toll collection machine. A plaque commemorating

6630-419: The ubiquitous possums and flying foxes . Road and rail bridges and other crossing points along the Maribyrnong River include: Many native species exist along the Maribyrnong River with many species thriving in the area. Native mammals include swamp wallabies , grey-headed flying foxes , common brushtail possums , common ringtail possums , water rats , echidnas , and platypus in the upper reaches of

6715-425: The user deposits money in a machine which opens the gate once the correct toll has been paid. To cut costs and minimise time delay, many tolls are collected with electronic toll collection equipment which automatically communicates with a toll payer's transponder or uses automatic number-plate recognition to charge drivers by debiting their accounts. Criticisms of toll roads include the time taken to stop and pay

6800-457: Was built to provide a robust transport link between Britain and Ireland and had a toll house every few miles. In the 20th century, road tolls were introduced in Europe to finance the construction of motorway networks and specific transport infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels. Italy was the first country in the world to build motorways reserved for fast traffic and for motor vehicles only. The Autostrada dei Laghi ("Lakes Motorway"),

6885-410: Was concerned that westbound drivers exiting the port bound for Brooklyn , Laverton North and Truganina would continue to use inner suburban streets to avoid the gradient on a truck ramp from Hyde Street to the West Gate Freeway. He said drivers would save on fuel and toll expenses by continuing to use suburban streets. The RACV has criticised the lack of detail in the government's announcements on

6970-809: Was exceptional in creating a largely new route beyond Shrewsbury , and especially beyond Llangollen . Built in the early 19th century, with many toll booths along its length, most of it is now the A5 . In the modern day, one major toll road is the M6 Toll , relieving traffic congestion on the M6 in Birmingham. A few notable bridges and tunnels continue as toll roads including the Dartford Crossing and Mersey Gateway bridge. Some cities in Canada had toll roads in

7055-451: Was implemented on the WHSD. The system was designed for automatic calculation of the driving distance of a vehicle equipped with a transponder. The system does not require constructing toll plazas at each entrance to or exit from the highway. Transponders mounted on vehicles are read by signal receivers installed at the entrance and exit ramps. In Italy the only toll roads are the autostrade (Italian for motorways ). Major exceptions are

7140-416: Was introduced across Italy. Several US states now use mobile tolling platforms to facilitate use of payment via smartphones. Highway 407 in the province of Ontario , Canada, has no toll booths, and instead reads a transponder mounted on the windshields of each vehicle using the road (the rear licence plates of vehicles lacking a transponder are photographed when they enter and exit the highway). This made

7225-477: Was promised in 2013 by the then Victorian Labor Opposition to allow an estimated 5000 trucks a day to bypass the congested West Gate Bridge . The project was Labor's alternative to the Napthine government's controversial $ 18 billion East West Link , which it cancelled in April 2015. Labor promised to have contracts for the West Gate Distributor project signed within six months of forming government following

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