Carrying a debt of 1 billion but taking 60 million to build a toll station？ Controversy caused by charges in Suhuai section of national highway.

　　A few days ago, the Jiangsu provincial government approved the collection of tolls on the Suhuai section of National Highway 205, which caused great controversy. Qilu Evening News A reporter from Qilu found that the toll station already has basic functions. This is the first time that a toll station has been added to this section. Suqian and Huai ‘an connected by this toll station ranked second and third from the bottom in Jiangsu in the fiscal revenue statistics of the first three quarters of 2023.

　　In fact, in the past two years, many toll stations have been added. These "retrograde" new toll stations have caused dissatisfaction among drivers, which has also aroused widespread public concern.

　　Reporter chenchen Yue Zhicheng

　　18-year old driver

　　Newly added toll gate on Shouyu National Highway

　　Master Liu, a truck driver in Tangshan, has been running on National Highway 205 for 18 years.

　　National Highway 205 starts from Qinhuangdao, Hebei, and ends at Shenzhen, Guangdong, passing through Tianjin, Shandong, Suzhou and other places, with a total length of 2,976 kilometers.

　　Last year, when Master Liu drove past the junction of Huai ‘an and Suqian in Jiangsu Province, he found a small building under construction along the national road. Master Liu was very excited, thinking that the service area was built, and he excitedly said to his peers, "There will be a place to rest in the future."

　　Unexpectedly, after the completion, Master Liu was stupid. It turned out to be a toll booth. "I was happy for nothing, but I thought it was to serve us."

　　On October 20th, the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province approved the request of Suqian and Huai ‘an Municipal People’s Governments to levy vehicle tolls, and requested that Suhuai Toll Station of National Highway 205 be levied after it is completed and meets the requirements. According to the management of government repayment roads, the two governments will jointly collect fees, and announced the charging standards for various buses and trucks, ranging from 10 yuan to 50 yuan.

　　Is there a charge for the national highway? Many netizens raised questions, and the matter quickly fell into controversy.

　　In fact, the national highway toll is nothing new to Master Liu. In recent years, he has been delivering goods from Tangshan to Changzhou and Wuxi, and National Highway 205 is the only way.

　　"At the beginning, we all ran high-speed, and we couldn’t afford to run next road. There were too many toll stations." Master Liu counted that there used to be many toll stations on the 205 National Road. "There are four or five in Jiangsu." Seven or eight years ago, these toll stations were gradually cancelled, and Master Liu took the national highway from the expressway.

　　At present, except for a toll station crossing the river and the Yellow River, there is only one toll station in Xinyi, Jiangsu Province on the 205 National Road that Master Liu passes through, but he chose to bypass. Now Jiangsu has built a new Suhuai toll station. Although there is no charge yet, Master Liu has studied the detour route. "After running for so many years, I have never seen fewer and fewer toll stations, and this is the first time I have seen it."

　　Li Shifu, a truck driver from Liaoning, also said that he had never encountered a new toll station on the national highway for many years. Li Shifu disapproved, but there was nothing he could do.

　　Registration of license plates of nearby residents

　　Or free passage.

　　The Suhuai Toll Station of National Highway 205 has been completed, which is located near Xinqiao Village, Qianji Town, Shuyang County, Suqian City, and the Huai ‘an boundary is not far to the south. There are workers in the supporting management room on the side, and the gate of the compound has not been built yet.

　　On the morning of November 11, the reporter saw at the scene that the original two-way four-lane National Highway 205 increased its lanes when it approached the toll station. There are four entrances in one direction, but only the "mixed lane" with the outermost entrance displayed in green can pass, and the other lanes display "lane maintenance".

　　In addition to trucks and cars, there are also nearby residents riding tricycles or electric cars. There are no people on duty in the toll booth.

　　Mr. Wu, a resident of Qianji Town, told reporters that on November 2 nd and 3 rd, a staff member informed the community that all owners of small cars with less than 7 seats registered in Qianji Community should go to the community from 6 th to 9 th of this month to provide ID cards and copies of vehicle driving licenses.

　　Although the notice did not explain the reason, residents all know that this is to prepare for the charges of the Suhuai toll station.

　　"There is no charge for our car, and people outside will have to pay for it." Mr. Ge, a resident, heard that the large vehicles of Qianjiren will also be charged.

　　On the afternoon of November 11th, a staff member of Qianji Community Party and Mass Service Center said that the information collected a few days ago had been reported, and "registration is free".

　　Mr. Ge opened a car repair shop near the national highway. He has a motor tricycle, which was not registered. He said that if there is a car on the other side of the toll booth that needs maintenance in the future, he will increase the round-trip toll.

　　1 billion debt and

　　More than 60 million toll stations

　　In the eyes of some local people, the charges of Suhuai Toll Station on National Highway 205 are closely related to local finance. It is reported that at the beginning of the year, Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Statistics announced the economic operation data of the province in 2022, and the regional GDP of Suqian and Huai ‘an ranked last.

　　According to the interface news report, the staff of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation said that the Suqian-Huai ‘an section of National Highway 205 was originally financed and built as a toll road, and now there are nearly 1 billion yuan in stock debts. This road is a first-class road for government to repay loans, and it can be charged according to regulations.

　　The so-called government repayment highway refers to the toll road built by the transportation department of the local people’s government at or above the county level with loans or paid funds from enterprises and individuals. According to the regulations, the continuous mileage of the first-class highway should be more than 50 kilometers.

　　As early as 2018, Shuyang County, Suqian City reported for approval to build the Suhuai Toll Station of National Highway 205, and was approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Development and Reform Commission. It is also mentioned in the reply that "in order to improve the service level of the national highway and ease the repayment pressure of the government", the total investment of the project is 68.65 million yuan, all of which is financed by the Shuyang County People’s Government.

　　Some people question whether it is reasonable to spend more than 60 million yuan to build a toll station when there is a debt of 1 billion. How long will it take to get back to Ben? On November 10, the reporter called the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation. A staff member said that he was not clear about the matter, and the phone number of the propaganda department he provided was never answered.

　　Expert:

　　The government should do a good job of explanation and guidance.

　　The staff of Suqian Highway Development Center and Huai ‘an Highway Development Center said that the charging time of Suhuai Toll Station on National Highway 205 has not yet been determined, and it is still in the preparatory stage. The specific charging time and standard will be announced to the public in advance.

　　Jia Qiang, an associate professor at the School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering of Shandong Jiaotong University and a member of China Highway Construction Industry Association, said that in fact, China is gradually reducing toll roads.

　　According to Red Star News, according to incomplete statistics, at least 10 national toll stations have been added in China in the past two years.

　　Jia Qiang said that according to the current "Regulations on the Management of Toll Roads", the addition of national highways in Jiangsu is in compliance, and the charges have also been approved by relevant departments.

　　In the case of insufficient finance, highway toll is a way for the government to alleviate the pressure of road construction and loan repayment. Jia Qiang mentioned that, after all, in addition to the cost of road construction, road maintenance and personnel management are also part of the expenses.

　　However, some people in the transportation industry believe that Jiangsu’s new toll roads are compliant, but they are not in line with public opinion. Public opinions should be fully sought before charging. The insider suggested that the government can make up for the cost of road construction in other ways, such as placing advertisements and inviting investment in service areas.

　　Zhang Ruhua, director of the Transportation Planning and Design Research Center of Shandong University, believes that the charges with clear basis are reasonable. From free to charge, the government should make a reasonable explanation considering the public’s acceptance. Jia Qiang also believes that the government has the responsibility to do a good job in propaganda and guidance.

　　Road construction is for the convenience of the masses. If the road is out of maintenance due to insufficient funds, people’s travel will be affected. "I hope that infrastructure investment can enter a virtuous circle." Zhang Yuhua said.