The Pennsylvania Turnpike is Not the Most Expensive Toll Road
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s per-mile rates rank mid-tier compared to other toll roads, bridges and tunnels. While surveys might suggest otherwise, the “most expensive turnpike” assertions are simply not true.
In fact, the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s rates are competitively priced and hardly the most expensive. Here is a more specific breakdown:
- Our E-ZPass rates rank 24th overall and are 20% lower than the national average
- Our Toll-by-Plate rates rank 15th
- Our Commercial vehicle toll rates are 33% lower than the national average
At 560+ miles, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is the United States’ second largest stretch of tolled roadway. It is a calculation that matters when critically evaluating “most expensive” claims because we have more roadway to maintain, govern and surveil.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Adds Value to Our Customers’ Travel
Customers pay to use our roadway because it provides a more seamless, convenient travel experience backed by a network of amenities and safety support. We work every day to ensure they receive the greatest value for their tolls.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike does more than provide an obstacle-free route to the more than 550,000 drivers who use it daily. Customers have 24/7 access to a system-wide roadside assistance program and dedicated State Police troop if they need support or service along the way. A network of 17 service plazas is also open around the clock, offering fuel, restrooms, food options and other amenities to make travel comfortable and convenient.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is committed to making travel safe, convenient and reliable for customers. A dedicated maintenance force ensures the roadway is free of snow, trash and other objects, while repairing any defects and making sure all safety infrastructure, such as guiderails, are in good condition. In addition, we often choose to conduct overnight maintenance work to minimize travel disruption during peak hours. It is all part of our mission to ensure travelers have the best driving experience possible.
We are also reinvesting in technology that supports transportation’s future. Our modernization efforts include laying a 550-mile fiber optic network to support Open Road Tolling (ORT), a cashless, free-flowing mode of collecting tolls without traditional toll plazas or tollbooths, which will begin in the eastern part of the state in 2025.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is Committed to Strong Financial Stewardship
As a limited access highway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike does not receive state funding or tax dollars to maintain and operate our system. Instead, our operating revenue comes from tolls. These toll dollars go right back into our roadway, financing maintenance, construction and other operating costs.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s toll rates remain competitive because it has consistently controlled operating expenses, managed debt efficiently and implemented innovative ways to generate additional non-toll revenues through asset monetization efforts.
Our innovation continues despite Act 44, a legislative mandate established in 2007 which required the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to make annual, $450 million payments to PennDOT to maintain the Commonwealth’s highways, bridges and public transit. Those payments were reduced to $50 million in 2022 but paying off the debt legacy acquired over those 15 years is a key driver of toll increases.
The Commission will be required to continue raising tolls through at least 2051 because of the debt previously issued to fund its Act 44 obligations from 2007 through 2022.
Where is the “Most Expensive Turnpike” Misinformation Coming From?
Some companies or social media influencersoffer misleading information as a form of online advertising. These ‘click-bait’ articles or posts are designed to capture customers’ attention and typically containno historical data, independently verified information or subject-matter expertise.
So, when the next survey comes out claiming the Pennsylvania Turnpike is the most expensive, consider these three questions:
1. Is it using a realistic route? Our audited customer feedback surveys show customers use the Pennsylvania Turnpike because they want the fastest route to their destinations. If a survey is basing its “most expensive” assertion on an unlikely route from Ohio to New Jersey, and then backtracking to drive up the entire Northeast Extension to Clark’s Summit, consider if that route is a fair metric to use.
2.What is being compared?Does the survey compare per-mile costs of the named roadways, or are road tolls compared against static bridge rates? The latter is a false equivalence that assumes that all tolls reflect equal types of travel and access.
3. What rates are they using? Surveys based on Toll-By-Plate rates, for example, are not realistic.PA Turnpike travelers use E-ZPass on 85% of trips, which provides significant discounts, making it the simplest and most cost-effective way to travel the roadway. Toll-by-Plate charges almost 50% more and accounts for just 15% of trips. The Toll-by-Plate program costs more because it accounts for the additional costs of capturing the license plate image, obtaining the vehicle owner’s information and issuing an invoice.
