The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce along with several other representatives from local business groups joined together Tuesday to persuade the public to keep tolls on the Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans. The group says a loss of $22 million in annual toll revenue along with state budget cuts will drastically affect the future of bridge maintenance and transportation improvements. Voters in the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines will decide whether to continue the tolls for another 20 years on Nov. 6.

Todd Murphy, president of the Jefferson Chamber, said that the toll was not a tax, but an investment in the future of the community. “We don’t see this as a tax, we see this as a necessity,” Murphy said.

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Business leaders: Tolls for bridge