Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approves 5% toll increase for 2023

HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved a 5% toll increase for 2023. 

The most common toll for a passenger vehicle with an E-ZPass will increase from $1.70 to $1.80 and from $4.10 to $4.40 for toll-by-plate customers. 

The commission has been increasing tolls annually since 2009, and its current plan calls for increases of 5% through 2025, followed by lower increases before leveling out at 3% from 2028 to 2050. 

Since Act 44 was passed in 2007, the commission said it has transferred nearly $8 billion in funding to PennDOT, mainly in the form of bond debt that has to be repaid over a 30-year period.   

"As an organization, I am proud of the fact that we work hard to manage the debt placed upon us by making prudent borrowing decisions and restricting operating-budget growth," Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton said in a news release. "While we are now essentially free from this onerous Act-44 commitment, we must continue to honor the debt-service obligations for 30 years. But a measure of relief is under way, and motorists can expect the level of increases to ease in a few years."