NORFOLK, Va. — Tolls are going up! Driving through the Midtown and Downtown tunnels will cost drivers more, come January 1.
Elizabeth River Crossings, the managing company for the tunnels, announced the upcoming changes this week to the frustration of Darrel Hill, who commutes to Portsmouth daily for work.
"Let’s charge them more. They charge us more,” he said.”It's a shame.”
For E-ZPass riders, the tolls will go up 27 cents during peak hours and 16 cents anytime else.
If you don't have an E-ZPass, you'll pay 47 cents more during non-peak hours, and an additional 58 cents than what you're paying now when traffic is busiest.
ERC officials said the extra money helps pay to operate and maintain the tunnels, the MLK Expressway and more than 50 lane-miles of roadway.
They said it also goes to repaying debts from a $2 billion improvement project in 2017.
"It becomes a point where how much does it cost to come to the children's museum every trip?” said Virginia Agrestie.
Agrestie and her family recently bought a membership to the Children's Museum in downtown Portsmouth. She's worried about the toll higher prices will have on the city.
"It's not going to affect my life. It’s more of an annoyance because gas is really expensive, so I'm already thinking about how much it costs in gas to get to the museum and back,” said Agrestie. “And now, you have to add this toll on top of it. It just doesn't seem like the right time to be raising tolls."
But, there are options for toll relief. This year, it’s open to anyone who makes $50,000 or less.
You do need an E-ZPass account. The program allows up to 50% off the tolls for up to 10 trips per week.
For more information about toll relief, click here.