Pa. Turnpike tolls outpace passenger vehicle rates in neighboring states

Pennsylvania drivers who cross onto the Ohio Turnpike notice at significant difference other than the flat terrain.

There is a significantly lower per-mile cost of traversing the Buckeye State’s 241-mile turnpike versus the 550 miles in Pennsylvania.

Ohio’s E-ZPass toll rate per mile for passenger vehicles is 0.058 cents, the second-lowest rate among nearby states Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

New York is the lowest at 0.049 cents per mile. New Jersey, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have the highest — 0.161, 0.136 and 0.129 cents, respectively.

Pennsylvania, however, has the highest rate — 0.265 cents per mile — for passenger vehicles not using E-ZPass, according to the data.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission model differs greatly from that in other states. In 2007 under Act 44, the commission made its first annual payment of $450 million to PennDOT to support statewide transportation projects other than the turnpike. Next year, the payment drops to $50 million.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has funded 13 state transportation projects with $1.38 billion in toll revenue bonds generated in 2013 and 2018. Those projects — three of which are still being completed — have a connection to the Ohio Turnpike, said spokesman Brian Newbacher.

Newbacher said the commission is nearing the end of a 10-year toll schedule that began in 2013. It called for a 2.7% annual toll increase.

The Ohio commission determines toll increases on an “as-needed” basis and keeps affordable toll rates a priority, hence Ohio’s “relatively low” tolls in comparison with nearby states, Newbacher said.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s system is similar to Pennsylvania’s.

The authority pays $22 million annually to the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund, which finances the costs of improvements to the state’s transportation system, said turnpike spokesperson Tom Feeney.

A September 2020 resolution increased tolls by 36% over a number of years, Freeney said. As part of that resolution, tolls will increase no more than 3% per year starting in 2022.

Feeney said toll increases typically lead to a temporary drop in New Jersey Turnpike traffic before it bounces back.

Newbacher said Ohio’s turnpike toll increases have not affected the highway’s use. Instead, the turnpike has seen “steady incremental growth over the last decade.”

“People look for other routes,” Feeney said, “and historically they come back to the turnpike.”