Missouri’s only toll facility going toll-free this spring

Motorists who drive across the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge will no longer have to pay a toll beginning this spring.

According to the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge Transportation Development District, this bridge located near the 16-mile marker of the main channel of the lake will be toll-free beginning April 30.

The development district expects to have generated enough revenue by the end of April to pay off outstanding mortgage bonds and other liabilities. Previous timelines anticipated the bridge will be toll-free in 2026, putting the project two years ahead of schedule.

In-season toll rates are currently set at $8 for a five-axle truck and $3 for passenger vehicles and motorcycles. Out-of-season tolls decrease to $5.50 for five-axle trucks and $2 for passenger vehicles.

Located at the center of Missouri, the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge was built to link the east side of the state (St. Louis) to the west side (Kansas City). The bridge serves as a key traffic artery for both tourism and local traffic, expanding the business and recreational opportunities on both sides of the lake, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The bridge was made possible after the 1990 Missouri Transportation Corporation Act was passed. That law allows private not-for-profit corporations to build toll roads and bridges.

The Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge was the first toll project launched after the law was enacted. It is also the only toll project in the state.

Efforts to gain funding for the $43 million project began in 1992, and the bridge was opened in 1998. According to the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge Transportation Development District, which acquired ownership of the bridge in 2012, 35 million vehicles have crossed it since it opened.

After the development district took over, it refinanced the project from a private lender to a United States Department of Agriculture loan. That move lowered the annual interest from 5.4% to 3.38%, cutting expenses by about $1 million a year.

After all debts are paid, Missouri will be a completely toll-less state.

Missouri state law prohibits state highway funds from being used on toll facilities. There have been several efforts in the past to allow tolls on Interstate 70 to fund much-needed improvements. With the exception of a 1992 proposed amendment that made the ballot box, those efforts have been quickly struck down. In 1992, nearly 58% of voters rejected the measure to allow tolls.

In January, the Missouri Department of Transportation received $92 million from the federal government for I-70 improvements, including new truck parking facilities. And last year, the Missouri legislature allocated nearly $3 billion to the I-70 widening project. LL