LAKE OZARK, Mo. — It's really happening. The Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge — aka "the toll bridge — will be free, beginning April 30.
The Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge Transportation Development District (Community Bridge TDD) will host a ceremony to officially end the collection of tolls for the bridge, on Tuesday, April 30 at 10 a.m. at JB Hook’s restaurant.
Event Details:
Date - Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Time - 10:00 AM
Location - JB Hook’s Restaurant, Lake Ozark, MO
The bridge represents a one-of-a-kind project in Missouri: the first and only toll facility developed under the Missouri Transportation Act of 1991, now paid-off. And that payoff came sooner than expected: as recently as 2022, the TDD was still (conservatively) estimating a 2026 payoff date.
The ceremony will highlight the collaborative effort of the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Lake of the Ozarks TDD and include the introduction of dignitaries, a proclamation by the City of Lake Ozark Mayor Dennis Newberry, a presentation by the Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission and a keynote address by Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe.
Since its inauguration in 1998, The Community Bridge has been a vital artery for the Lake of the Ozarks, facilitating more than 35 million vehicle crossings and significant contribution to the local economy and residential development.
The termination of toll collection comes two years earlier than projected initially by the Community Bridge TDD, which is a testament to the successful management and foresight of the Community Bridge TDD.
When the bridge first opened, the toll was $2.50 during the busy season, and $1.50 in the offseason, with higher rates for larger vehicles. Now the toll is $3 in-season and $2 the rest of the year. For comparison, the old Hurricane Deck Bridge toll was 40¢ when that bridge opened in 1936: about $8.50 in today’s dollars.
The Community Bridge TDD would like to invite the community to join the celebration of this momentous occasion. The event not only commemorates the achievements of the past but also looks forward to the increased connectivity and opportunities that a toll-free Community Bridge will bring to the area.
"As the bridge has connected the East and West sides of our community, this event symbolizes the opportunities and possibilities of our community," the TDD said in a press release.
Read more about the history of this unique project in Missouri and what will happen to the bridge once it's paid off, below:
Everyone's talking about it: the Lake of the Ozarks Community (Toll) Bridge payoff date was …
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