Mexico, Uruguay, and Chile have Latin America’s most expensive toll rates

Colombia does not have room for one more toll unless, as in certain highways of the country, each station is located less than 100 kilometers away.

It is an unusual fact compared with the operation and distribution of this type of toll in other Latin American countries or large roads such as those in the United States or Canada.

The national territory registers 168 toll booths, which are part of private concessions, while others are administered by the National Roads Institute (Invias).

The local rate is in fifth place compared to other countries in the region, with a value of US$4.36.

Mexico leads the cost ranking, with a maximum value of US$8.14, which varies according to the road.

It is followed by Uruguay, with US$5.96 per pass; Chile, with US$5.94; and Brazil, with US$4.95.

The list is completed by Canada, with US$3; Paraguay, with US$2.39; Peru, with US$2.19; the USA, with US$1.25; Argentina, with US$1.19; Ecuador, with US$1; Bolivia, with US$0.29; and Venezuela, with US$0.12.

José Stalin Rojas, director of the Observatory of Logistics and Mobility of the National University, explains that Colombia stands out in this list because “some stretches are built by public-private partnerships, so the costs that are set serve to raise resources for road maintenance; however, the road service does not reflect drivers’ high cost.”

When global rates are analyzed, it is evident that Switzerland leads the list with a value of US$21.2, followed by Austria, where the figure is US$13.05; Faroe Island, at US$13.04; Croatia, at US$12.24; Denmark, at US$8.60; Poland, at US$7.48; Belgium, at US$5.82; China, at US$5.82; Albania, US$4.82; and Sweden, at US$4.38.

At the local level, during the process of the new government of President Gustavo Petro, it was reported that between 2022 and 2023, 19 more tolls would have to be installed to finance the works that have already been completed in various mega-projects that are part of the fourth generation (4G) roads.

With information from DF SUD