PA Turnpike tolls will increase by 5% starting Sunday

A 5% increase in the toll on the Pennsylvania turnpike is set to take effect on Sunday. Motorists traveling in a standard passenger vehicle from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh can expect to pay $1.80 more.

Starting this Sunday, motorists traveling on the Pennsylvania turnpike can expect to pay 5% more in tolls, as an increase announced in July goes into effect.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved the 5% toll increase for all E-ZPass and Toll by Plate customers last July. According to the commission, the most common toll for a passenger vehicle will increase from $1.80 to $1.90 for E-ZPass customers and from $4.40 to $4.70 for toll by plate. To figure out what the toll increase will be for your trip on the turnpike, use the toll calculator from the PTC.

Motorists should expect an annual increase in tolls for the next 15 years — until at least 2053 — due to bond borrowing requirements.

“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,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton announcing the toll increases earlier this year. “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.”

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 US tolling agencies. The PA Turnpike’s E-ZPass passenger rate of 15 cents per mile is nearly 20% below the national average of 18 cents.

“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.”