Toll Roads?

The NC Turnpike Authority is proposing the first toll roads in NC. Can anyone tell me where the extremely high gas tax money goes? I can tell you... in a piece I wrote here. WRAL has coverage here and WXII has coverage here of the toll proposal.

We already pay for the roads with the gas tax. We don't need to pay for them with tolls. I grew up in NJ, where the toll booth was a way of life. When they first proposed them, the spin was that once the roads were paid for, the tolls would come down. Guess what? They are still up and more expensive then ever. The also cause traffic, accidents, and pollution from stand vehicles.

My question is, if we already pay for the roads with the gas tax, then why the tolls? We can live with one or the other, but not both. By pushing the toll roads, the NC Turnpike Authority raises the question of where our gas tax money is going, if not the roads? I would also like to know if the highway construction is done by bid or no bid contract. If it is by no bid contracts, then we need to open up the bidding and get quicker and cheaper work done. If tolls go up, the gas tax must come down. Bottom line. WXII says that the Turnpike Authority is coming to Greensboro on June 15th to discuss the toll road proposal.