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[Spartan]

What is so funny is that people opposed it when it was being built, and people still don't use it. Why would anyone want to pay $1.50 to drive on a road? Its crazy. The only reason I could see to use it is if you are coming from Laurens County or maybe Northern Newberry or Southern Spartanburg County and you needed to go to Atlanta or somewhere in that direction. Maybe if you needed to get to Greenville's West End vie I-185. But seriously, there just aren't enough people to keep this thing going.  

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Highway’s fee could go up

The Associated Press

GREENVILLE — The fee drivers pay to use the 16-mile Southern Connector in southern Greenville County is expected to go up next year, as toll revenues continue to fall short of projections by about two-thirds.

Managers of the toll road had to use a reserve fund this month to help cover a $1.75 million debt payment. It’s the fourth time they have dipped into the reserves.

A decision on raising the $1.50 rate is not final, said general manager Pete Femia.

Documents from borrowing $200 million to build the road show an original plan to increase tolls from $1.50 to $2 next year.

The highway runs from I-385 in Mauldin to I-85 near the Anderson County line.

Investors worry managers have no way to replenish the reserve fund and no concrete plans to restructure its debt.

“It appears that the same problem we’ve been staring at for the last year is still here ... the traffic revenue is not there, and it appears to be leveling off,” said John Macko, a New York investor concerned about his connector bonds.

Femia said by next year, traffic revenues should grow enough to cover debt payments, and the highway’s management will begin to repay the reserves. He said they might restructure the debt but have no concrete plans to do it soon.

The road is on pace to collect about $3.8 million in revenues this year, compared with $10.4 million that was projected to investors.

This is copied straight from The State: http://www.thestate....ess/9122543.htm