PENNSYLVANIA – The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced Tuesday that it has approved a 5 percent toll increase for 2023.
The increase will be in effect for all E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers.
According to a statement from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the increase will change the most common toll for a car for E-ZPass customer fares from $1.70 to $1.80. Toll rates per plate will increase from $4.10 to $4.40 for the most common toll.
The release also said the most common toll for a Class 5 tractor trailer will increase from $13.70 to $14.40 for E-ZPass customers and from $28 to $29.40 for Toll By customers Plate.
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Once the increase is implemented, tolls for both passenger and commercial vehicles will be rounded to the next cent, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
“The PTC has been forced to increase tolls annually for the foreseeable future to meet its financial obligations under Act 44 of 2007,” said PTC CEO Mark Compton. “It’s worth noting that even with these ongoing annual increases, our toll rate per mile remains below the median when compared to the rates of other US toll agencies.”
Act 44 of 2007 required the Pennsylvania Turnpike to transfer between $900 million and (more recently) $450 million annually to the Commonwealth to support statewide transportation projects, according to the release.
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In the 15 years since Act 44 of 2007, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has transferred nearly $8 billion in funding to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the vast majority of which was in the form of borrowing (issuance of bond debt ) to be repaid by the PTC over a period of 30 years, the launch continued.
“As an organization, I’m proud of the fact that we work hard to manage the debt we’re saddled with by making prudent borrowing decisions and restraining operating budget growth,” Compton said. “Although we are now essentially free of this onerous Act-44 commitment, we must continue to meet debt service obligations for 30 years. But some relief is coming and motorists can expect the level of increases will be reduced in a few years”.
Based on current traffic and revenue projections, the PTC plan calls for future toll increases of 5 percent through 2025, 4 percent in 2026, 3.5 percent in 2027 and then 3 percent annually from 2028 to 2050, according to the statement
The 2023 toll increase will take effect on January 8, 2023 at 12:01 am
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