The Elizabeth River Tunnel, Downtown and Downtown tolls are completely unfair to anyone who lives or works in Portsmouth; people shouldn't have to pay to drive to work, or even just drive within their state. Tunnel tolls forced people to reorganize their entire lives because of a simple tax. Turns out there are benefits to this new tax: In 58 years, the tunnel infrastructure will be much stronger as Virginia's population has grown. Tags: Elizabeth, Midtown, tunnel, tolls, tax, people, unfair , advantages, disadvantagesI. IntroductionThe city of Virginia recently imposed a tax on the Elizabeth River Tunnel. The tunnel connects Norfolk and Portsmouth and was only tolled in February 2014 (Kelly 2014). This new toll requires residents, commuters and visitors to pay a tax ranging from one dollar to four dollars. Recent tolls added to the downtown and downtown Hampton Roads tunnels are forcing commuters and citizens to make drastic changes to their lifestyles. Students and employees are considering changes to their jobs and the colleges they attend to save time and money due to the cost of commuting. If the average toll is two dollars a day, people spend about $60 a month. What was once a relatively easy journey for many has become costly in time and money. Because the addition of tolls has divided the population between those who agree and those who disagree; the media played an important role in promoting the argument against adding tolls. The $60 people spend each month can be more than just a toll; especially if a person is going through very difficult times. Tunnel tolls caused...... middle of paper ......h; they need to think about the cause and effect of the situation. Most people simply fear that this tax will ruin them, which may be true because the dollar they pay daily for a month could be $60; that $60 can be used for groceries or gas.VII. ConclusionThe tunnel tolls will remain in effect for about another 59 years, so people will have to get used to them. They must realize that there will be consequences; one consequence could be the collapse of the High Rise Bridge due to too much traffic. The public must see the big picture, even if they don't like it. There will be more on this issue soon, but since it is such an opinion it is very difficult to get some argument given that there are so many. Sooner or later, people will start to gravitate towards the bridge. They'll realize it's the best.