New year brings increased tolls in multiple states

With the start of the new year, the Ohio Turnpike has increased tolls for all users along its roadways.

For 2024, the new rate for Class 5 vehicles (high five-axle and low six-axle vehicles) using the state’s E-ZPass system will be .204 cents per mile, with fees between $2.25 and $38.50 depending on miles traveled. For cash or credit card users, the rate is now .255 cents per mile, with fees ranging from $3 to $48.25.

The rate hike marks the beginning of an incremental increase in fees that will continue through 2028. Once all of the increases are complete, Class 5 E-ZPass users will be tolled at .238 cents per mile, with cash and credit customers paying nearly .3 cents per mile.

According to the Turnpike Commission, the rate hike is necessary to offset the rising costs of “highway design, construction and maintenance,” which it says is at an all-time high.

“The Commission relies primarily on toll revenue to maintain and operate the 241-mile Ohio Turnpike, which is one of the safest and most reliable toll roads in the country,” the group said in a statement. “Specifically, the toll rate increases will help properly maintain the Ohio Turnpike’s infrastructure, including bridge, roadway and other projects.

The group added that the Ohio Turnpike maintains “some of the lowest toll rates in the country,” despite the increase for 2024.

Drivers in the Buckeye State aren’t the only ones getting hit in the pocketbook. The New York State Thruway Authority also has increased tolls this year.

In September, the group announced the first of two systemwide rate increases for all users. Beginning this year, in-state E-ZPass users will see an increase of 5% outside of fixed-rate tolling points. A second 5% increase will take effect in January 2027.

As for out-of-state E-ZPass and Toll by Mail users, the standard commercial rates will increase about 75% per mile for both groups by 2027.

With the heaviest discounts being applied to New York E-ZPass users, it should be noted that an individual is not required to be a New York resident to open a New York E-ZPass account and receive the reduced rate.

Truckers in North Carolina will notice higher tolls in 2024, as well.

An annual increase approved by the North Carolina Turnpike Authority will bring increased rates to two of the state’s three tolled roadways: the Triangle Expressway and the Monroe Expressway.

For N.C. Quick Pass users on the Triangle Expressway, the rate for a full-length trip will increase by 3.68%, or 14 cents, to $3.94. For drivers traveling the full 19.8 miles of the Monroe Expressway, the rate will increase 2.89%, up 8 cents to $2.85.

In the state, Class 3 vehicles (those with four or more axles) are tolled at four times the standard rate. The rates for cash or credit users are around 35% higher than N.C. Quick Pass or E-Z Pass users.

The Turnpike Authority said the toll revenue will be used to “pay off bonds sold to fund construction, as well as support the operations and maintenance of each toll facility.” LL