WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - State transportation officials have allowed up to 300,000 cars and trucks to use a troubled toll bridge in far south Louisiana without operators paying. That's according to a report issued on Monday.

In addition, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera said in an 18-page review that state officials failed to charge motorists with electronic accounts that had insufficient funds and did not send delinquency notices to nearly 40,000 violators who used the La. 1 bridge in Leeville.

The Advocate reports the structure is used to haul nearly 20 percent of the nation's crude oil and natural gas supplies.

Toll collections have been a problem since they started being collected two years ago, and state officials said in July that troubles remained despite the opening of a cash lane in June.