The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has voted unanimously to raise tolls for the tenth year in a row.
Starting on January 7, 2018, tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will go up by 6%. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission says that toll increases are necessary to pay the state’s Department of Transportation the $450 million per year to provide operating support for mass transit. In the past 10 years, the Turnpike Commission has paid PennDOT $5.65 billion.
Commercial and Passenger Vehicle Tolls To Increase By 6%
After the increase goes into effect, most truck drivers paying cash will see tolls go up from $14.45 to $15.35. Most truck drivers with E-ZPass will see their toll costs jump up from $10.17 to $10.78.
Tolls will also go up for passenger vehicles. The most common toll for cash customers will increase from $1.95 to $2.10. The most common toll for E-ZPass customers will increase from $1.23 to $1.30.
According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, there are a few exceptions to the toll increase, which include:
- there will be no 2018 increase for E-ZPass or Toll-By-Plate customers at the Delaware River Bridge westbound cashless tolling point (#359) in Bucks County.
- toll rates at the Keyser Avenue (#122) and Clarks Summit (#131) toll plazas on the Northeastern Extension (I-476) in Lackawanna County will not increase until April 2018 as a part of the planned conversion to cashless tolling (rates will be set closer to the conversion date using a new vehicle-classification system).
- toll rates at the Findlay Connector (PA Turnpike 576, Allegheny and Washington counties) will not increase until April 2018 as a part of the planned conversion to cashless tolling (rates will be set closer to the conversion date using a new vehicle-classification system).
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says that the toll increases may cause trucking companies to seek out non-toll roads.
