Motorists using the Pennsylvania Turnpike for trips through the Commonwealth get ready rate hikes that go into effect on January 7.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) approved the 5% toll increase for 2024 for all E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers, last summer.
The new rates will take effect across the toll-highway system Sunday, at 12:01 a.m.
The most-common toll for a passenger vehicle will increase next year from $1.80 to $1.90 for E-ZPass customers and from $4.40 to $4.70 for Toll By Plate customers. The most-common toll for a Class-5 tractor trailer will increase from $14.40 to $15.20 for E-ZPass and from $29.40 to $30.90 for Toll By Plate. After the increase is applied, E-ZPass and Toll By Plate rates for passenger and commercial vehicles will round up to the nearest dime.
“As in previous years, the PTC is obligated to raise rates annually as part of its legislative mandate to provide PennDOT supplemental funding for transit systems around the state as outlined by Act 44 of 2007,” announced PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton when the toll increase was announced. “While these payments were once $450 million a year, they have been reduced to $50 million annually. However, our organization had to borrow to make those payments, which total nearly $8 billion.”
Because the Act-44 funding plan required borrowing by means of 30-year bonds, the PTC is obligated to increase tolls annually through at least 2053. The 5% toll-rate increase continues the Commission’s planned, multi-year reduction in annual increase rates with a goal of getting to 3% in 2028.
“We recognize that our customers pay a premium when they choose to travel on the PA Turnpike,” Compton said. “In return, we endeavor to provide a dependable, premium experience that gets our customers safely to their destinations in a timely fashion.”
Even with its imposed Act-44 liability, the PA Turnpike is on sound financial footing in spite of elevated inflation. The Commission has kept expenses at or below approved levels by holding down operating costs to offset the impact of Act 44, officials said.
“Before we ask customers to pay higher rates, we make sure that we’re keeping our costs as low as possible,” Compton said. “It’s about fiscal restraint. We budget conservatively and consistently deliver expenses at or below those numbers.”
The PTC ended fiscal year 2023 with estimated actual expenses that were roughly 15% below budget. In FY 22, the PTC ended with expenses 25% below budget. Over the 15 years of Act 44, the PTC has had compound average annual growth rates of only 0.8% in operating costs, said officials/
Compton added that, despite ongoing toll increases, the PA Turnpike’s per-mile passenger rate continues to be below the national average when compared with other U.S. tolling agencies. Among 47 toll road, bridge, and tunnel operators in the U.S., the PA Turnpike’s E-ZPass passenger rate of 15 cents per mile is nearly 20% below the national average of 18 cents. Likewise, the PA Turnpike’s E-ZPass commercial rate of 55 cents per mile is 12% below the national average of 62 cents per mile.
“Clearly, this data — researched and compiled by a prominent, privately owned transportation firm — proves that the PA Turnpike is nowhere near the ‘most expensive’ in the U.S., let alone in the world, as some media outlets wrongly reported,” Compton said. “Despite having to raise tolls every year for the past 15 years, the PA Turnpike is still less expensive than the national average.”
E-ZPass drivers continue to receive the lowest rates across the PA Turnpike, saving nearly 60% compared to the Toll By Plate rates. Non-E-ZPass customers can download the PA TOLL PAY smartphone app to create an autopay account and receive 15% savings on monthly Toll By Plate invoices. To learn more visit https://www.paturnpike.com/toll-by-plate/pa-toll-pay-app.
For the current toll calculator click here Toll Calculator | PA Turnpike.
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