Taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike to work will get a little more expensive next year — and every additional year from now until 2044. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission officially raised toll rates by 6 percent effective Jan. 8, 2017, and it’s eyeing up to 6 percent more every year for the next 28 years, according to a Philadelphia Magazine report by Claire Sasko.
“While we will continue to mitigate toll increases through boosted efficiencies, we have no option but to increase tolls annually moving ahead,” CEO Mark Compton said in the article.
That’s because the turnpike toll hike has to fund the PTC’s $5.77 billion plan to reconstruct and widen all 550 miles over the coming decade.
And if it feels like toll prices just went up, you’re right. This next annual toll hike is the ninth in a row.
For typical commuters, the E-ZPass turnpike toll will go from $1.16 to $1.23 and the cash toll will jump from $1.80 to $1.95, except on the Delaware River Bridge, where toll prices are not increasing next year.
Read more about the turnpike toll hike in Philadelphia Magazine here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of happenings on the Chester County thoroughfare here.
