Monroe County Considers Automating Card Sound Road Toll Booth
FKT
The toll plaza on Card Sound Road,
Since the Card Sound Road tollbooth opened in 1969, the toll has remained the same: 50 cents an axle, cash only. Monroe County employs four full-time and five part-time toll workers. Their jobs would be eliminated if the toll booth is automated.
But change may be coming to the booth at the county line between Monroe and Miami-Dade. Monroe County is considering automating the booth. Tolls would be collected by Sunpass and toll-by-plate, as they are increasingly throughout the state.
The public has until Friday (Dec. 18) to weigh in on the proposal through an online survey at cardsoundsurvey.com. Automating the booth could increase safety and convenience and would reduce noise and fuel consumption, according to a county news release.
The view looking north, from the bridge, of the toll plaza on Card Sound Road,
The county collected $1,075,111 in tolls at the booth during the last fiscal year, said Judith Clarke, Monroe’s director of engineering services. That money goes toward the operation, maintenance and improvement of Card Sound Road, which includes four small bridges and the high-arching Card Sound Bridge.
Four full-time and five part-time toll collectors work at the booth. Card Sound Road is one of two routes in or out of the Florida Keys. It connects Florida City and North Key Largo and is a slightly longer and slower alternative to the 18 Mile Stretch of U.S. 1.
