For better (a much-needed road!) or worse (you pay for every trip!), drivers started using a new stretch of the 540 Outer Loop in western Wake County on Wednesday.

And they started paying tolls today (see 8/1/12 story with reader comments).

So what do you think? Is it getting you to work faster in the morning, or to the mall? Is it getting you home faster in the afternoon? Email me with your contact info, so I can call you. Or share your experiences below.

The Triangle Expressway (TriEx) is a toll road that combines parts of N.C. 147 and N.C. 540. The busiest part of TriEx also is part of Raleigh's 540 Outer Loop. So TriEx has too many names already, but many drivers will think of it as an NC 55 Bypass around Apex and Cary.

Here are TriEx toll rates.