We’re having a hard time sympathizing with either of the two major explanations — excuses, really — as to why the Pennsylvania Turnpike keeps raising tolls with such stunning frequency. It’s the net result that keeps grinding the gears of motorists in northern Butler County.

The Turnpike Commission increased tolls by 6 percent on Sunday. It raised the tolls 6 percent a year ago, too. And the year before that. In fact, the commission has hiked the tolls every January since 2009 — 11 years straight. Turnpike Commission members say the higher tolls are needed to meet their dual funding obligation, which is mandated by the state legislature — to improve the 552-mile toll-road system and to support other mass-transit improvements statewide.

It’s only fair to point out Pennsylvania’s unfortunate circumstance: we have more miles of paved highway than any other state, and we happen to exist in a freeze-thaw seasonal environment that is particularly harsh on pavement. Highway maintenance here is serious, costly, full-time business.

Even when we acknowledge this reality, we have to admit the related truth: we have the highest liquid fuels taxes in America, and it’s still not enough to cover PennDOT’s maintenance costs. That’s why it’s state policy to plunder the Turnpike treasury for $6 billion over the past decade for PennDOT operations.

The Turnpike Commission has been paying $450 million a year to PennDOT under mandate of Act 44 of 2007 and Act 89 of 2013. The commission gets a break in 2022 when the payments are reduced to $50 million a year. Heaven knows what the gasoline tax will do then.

But the details of the Turnpike revenue is not the focus of this gripe. Rather, our irritation has to do with the irrational logic that the state raises prices on a service like Turnpike access expecting people to continue using it, then it employs the same pricing strategy with cigarette sales intending to reduce consumption. Why would more people pay a higher toll while fewer are expected to pay higher prices on tobacco products? That makes no sense.

One consequence is increased traffic on secondary highways like State Route 422 by motorists eluding the higher tolls.

After a particularly nasty truck-motorcycle collision last July, we discussed the apparent increase in Route 422 congestion, writing: “With ever-increasing regularity, residents of northern Butler County and the adjoining regions are abandoning the turnpike when driving east or southeast. Instead, they’re using Route 422. Doing so adds a couple miles to the trip but cuts nearly $40 in toll fees for a round trip between the Cranberry and Breezewood exits.”

We stressed then what we still stress now: State Route 422 is not the Pennsylvania Turnpike. There are two-lane sections, passing zones and traffic slowing to turn at intersections and private drives. There are posted speed limits far below the standard 65 mph you’d expect on a high-speed, multilane highway. There’s municipal trash pickup along Route 422.

Most local folks know the ins and outs. They know the worst intersections — Bonniebrook in Summit Township comes to mind — and the times of day or night to best exercise extreme caution, or avoid the intersections altogether. But the through-traffic drivers don’t know the routes that well — and a growing number rely on GPS gadgets or, worse, are playing with them when they should be watching the road.

Pending improvements to Route 228 across southern Butler County and the construction of a mini-casino in Beaver County will only funnel more traffic in our direction.

Given the mixed message of interspersed two- and four-lane sections of Route 422, combined with the increasing Turnpike tolls as incentive to find another way, we can expect growing numbers of motorists to make use of Route 422 as a long-distance alternative route.

That prospect holds only two clear options: Start planning and financing the improvements for this vital highway or expect more tragic wrecks to occur with regularity.