Tolls will rise Jan. 6 on Pa. Turnpike

By Paul Nussbaum, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: July 20, 2012

Tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will go up again on Jan. 6, increasing by 10 percent for cash-paying customers and by 2 percent for drivers using E-ZPass.

That will mean the cost of driving a car from Ohio to New Jersey on the turnpike will rise to $39.10, from the current $35.55, for a cash customer. For an E-ZPass customer, the same trip will cost $30.77, up from the current $30.17.

The Turnpike Commission hopes the growing differential between cash and electronic fares will push more customers to E-ZPass, as the turnpike plans to eventually do away with toll collectors to save money and speed traffic.

The commission also voted to lower E-ZPass account holders' annual service fee to $3 per transponder from the current $6 effective Jan. 1.

The commission on Wednesday selected HNTB Corp. to plan for all-electronic tolling on the turnpike. HNTB, as program manager, will be paid $6 million to perform traffic and engineering studies and meet with legislators and the public.

All-electronic tolls won't be installed for at least five years, a turnpike spokesman said.

Annual turnpike toll increases were mandated by a 2007 law that required the turnpike to help pay for other state highways and local transit agencies.

That law envisioned tolls on I-80 as well to help defray those costs, but the federal Department of Transportation rejected the state's bid to put tolls on that road.

So far, turnpike tolls have provided $3.4 billion to other roads and transit agencies, the commission said.

Contact Paul Nussbaum at 215-854-4587 or pnussbaum@phillynews.com.

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