Dec 31, 2013 By The 4 min read

Beginning Sunday, traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will cost a bit more — 12 percent more for cash customers, to be exact.

The newest rate increases, announced earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), also will mandate a 2 percent increase for E-ZPass customers.

The rate increase will take effect Sunday and marks the 11th rate increase in the turnpike’s history.

Locally, that means those paying cash to drive on the entire 52-mile section of the turnpike’s Mon-Fayette Expressway from near Morgantown, W.Va., to Route 51 in Jefferson will see tolls rise by 71 cents from $6.40 to $7.11, while those using the E-ZPass will see their tolls go up 10 cents from $4.76 to $4.86. That essentially makes the highway cost-prohibitive for most motorists to use on a daily basis.

“Our E-ZPass customers have seen lower increases than cash customers since 2011, and this will be the fourth year we’ve been able to minimize the impact to E-ZPass users,” said Turnpike CEO Mark Compton, according to the Turnpike website. “Since more than 70 percent of our customers pay with E-ZPass today, most customers are taking advantage of these lower rates.”

Officials have said the increases are necessary to fund the commission’s financial obligations to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) under Act 44. The 2007 state law requires the turnpike give $450 million each year to PennDOT for transportation infrastructure requirements.

The turnpike commission has paid nearly $3.9 billion to PennDOT under Act 44 and will continue to make its annual $450 million payments until the $4.3 balance is paid off.

Revenues from the higher rates will help fund the turnpike’s capital improvement plan, which will rebuild the aging road and increase its lanes from four to six.

E-ZPass customers are charged less because it costs less to collect tolls electronically, officials said.

“Besides being faster and more convenient for motorists, E-ZPass is a more efficient, environmentally responsible way for us as an agency to collect tolls because it reduces idling at the tollbooth and cuts emissions,” Compton said.

PTC motorist research has shown that many people don’t know it’s so affordable to enroll in E-ZPass. The initial cost to open an auto-replenishment account is $38; however, $35 of that is the available balance from which tolls are deducted.

“The only cost to E-ZPass customers is really the $3 annual service fee,” Compton said, “which many people can recover in a few trips due to the lower tolls.”

The average Class-1 toll for a cash customer on the Turnpike mainline is $4.49 today. The same toll is just $2.92 with the 2014 E-ZPass discount — for a savings of $1.57 per trip. In view of this, most current cash customers would earn back that $3 annual fee after only two trips (a single round trip) if they switched to E-ZPass.

Here is the effect the 2014 increase is expected to have on some of the most-common Pennsylvania Turnpike Class-1 (or passenger) trips:

n A short, commuter trip for Class-1 vehicles will increase from $1.02 to $1.04 for E-ZPass customers and from $1.40 to $1.60 for cash-paying travelers. Some examples of popular short trips include: Willow Grove (#343) to Bensalem (#351); Irwin (#67) to Pittsburgh (#57); and Harrisburg East (#247) to Harrisburg West (#242). E-ZPass users will save 56 cents on these trips.

n A typical, mid-length trip for Class-1 vehicles will increase from $2.71 to $2.77 for E-ZPass customers and from $3.55 to $4 for cash-paying travelers. Some examples of popular medium trips include: Morgantown (#298) to Valley Forge (#326); Lehigh Valley (#56) to Pocono (#95); and Cranberry (#28) to Pittsburgh (#57). E-ZPass users will save $1.23 on these trips.

n A longer, regional trip for Class-1 vehicles will increase from $7.10 to $7.25 for E-ZPass customers and from $9.10 to $10.20 for cash-paying travelers. Some examples of popular regional trips include: Mid-County (#20) to Wyoming Valley (#115); Breezewood (#161) to New Stanton (#75); and Reading (#286) to Delaware River Bridge (#359). E-ZPass users will save $2.95 on these trips.