METAIRIE, LA (AP) — Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts wants a public referendum to decide whether the Causeway Commission should raise tolls on the 24-mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain.
Roberts tells WDSU-TV’s Aubry Killion he'll ask the Jefferson Parish Council to discuss the increase. He likens his plan to a 2013 election where voters rejected extending tolls on the Crescent City Connection bridge over the Mississippi River. That second election came after a lawsuit over a first election where pro-toll voters narrowly prevailed.
The commission voted Aug. 11 to increase prices by $1 for toll tag users and $2 for cash customers, bringing tolls to $3 and $5 respectively. Tolls are collected only going southbound.
Causeway officials plan to use the money to build higher rails on the older southbound bridge and driver pull-off areas.
