Scanning through the arguments and flip remarks and everything else I don’t see the correct answer which is that most interstate highways were built with federal money, like 90% federal funding, very easy for the states to build those projects with that kind of support. But the turnpikes and thruways and similar toll roads in the Northeast were built before the interstate program was begun. The states needed to float bonds to raise the cash to build the roads and then pay the bonds back over the years, which is what always happens with capital projects; they’re always funded by bond issues and the state or city has to pay the bonds back over time. So the Mass Turnpike, New York State Thruway, Ohio Turnpike, Pennsylvania Turnpike, New Jersey turnpike, Connecticut Turnpike, Maine turnpike – all built prior to the interstate program and financed with bonds and most of them, Connecticut excepted, still collect tolls.

Fun fact: The interstate highway program design standards prohibit service areas on the interstates. But the toll roads built by the states including the mass pike, naturally thought service areas were a nice amenity and they all have service areas. I’m not sure why the interstates built under the federal program don’t have them but they mostly all don’t.

I-95, 91, 495, 93 were built with federal interstate trust fund money so no tolls. Mass also built Route 128, 3 and 24 without the interstate funding and without tolls either. I’ve got nothing to explain that one.