NORFOLK, Va. — Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) announced Wednesday that toll fees for the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels will increase on Jan. 1 after a year without the rates going up.
According to ERC, the tolls help pay for financing, operation and maintenance of the tunnels, as well as the MLK Expressway in Portsmouth and about 51 lane miles of associated roadway.
“You know, we have a lot of debt. We have $1.1 billion in debt, and our costs like everybody else, costs of salaries, materials, everything is going up this year because of a lot of the bleed out from COVID, so our costs have gone up," ERC CEO David Sullivan told 13News Now.
Last year, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced that tolls wouldn't go up for Downtown and Midtown Tunnels in 2021, deferring the increase to 2022.
“We deferred the increase last year mainly because of COVID. It was the right thing to do, and we’ll resume increases in January," Sullivan said.
Beginning January 1, 2022, here are the new tolls for the Downtown and Midtown tunnels.
For the tunnels during peak hours, from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Monday through Friday:
- Rates for E-ZPass passenger vehicles will increase from $2.33 to $2.50 in 2022.
- Rates for pay-by-plate customers will increase from $6.02 to $6.37.
During all other (non-peak) hours, including holidays and weekends:
- Rates for E-ZPass passenger vehicles will increase from $1.85 to $1.94 in 2022.
- Rates for pay-by-plate customers will increase from $5.54 to $5.81.
In the midst of the higher tolls, certain Portsmouth and Norfolk residents can soon apply for relief under an expansion of Virginia's Toll Relief Program. The application period starts on Dec. 1, 2021, and ends on Feb. 15, 2022.
Virginia also offers several ways to save on tolls, including E-ZPass and mobile apps like GoToll and Slora.
For a more detailed look at the 2022 toll rates, visit the website for Elizabeth River Tunnels.