PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike will cost 6 percent more in the new year. The latest in a series of toll hikes goes into effect Sunday, January 5th.
The higher tolls apply across the board for both cash and EZ Pass customers. Driving from border to border will increase to $61.80 for cash, $44.20 for EZ Pass.
Turnpike spokeswoman Rosanne Placey points out that the bulk of the increased funding is required by state law to go to PennDOT."By law the payments now go to support mass transit statewide with most of the funding supporting transit in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia," said Placey. "The Turnpike Commission has provided more than $6 billion in funding to PennDOT in the past decade.
Those payments aren't scheduled to lessen until 2023. However, the state legislature has yet to come up with a funding alternative for transit.
"We are hopeful that our General Assembly will continue to be mindful of what this funding requirement has done to us and will continue to do to us in the future," said Placey.
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