Ohio Turnpike Commission Approves 10-Year Toll Plan

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has approved a 10-year toll plan that’s expected to increase rates by about 2.7% annually for cars and trucks.

Under the plan, yearly increases cannot be any more than 2.7%, and could be less if the cost of living index does not reach 2.7%.

Ohio truckers are pleased with the plan, which was approved Monday, said Larry Davis, president of the Ohio Trucking Association.

“They know what’s coming . . . and they can plan for it,” Davis said.

The first increase will be Jan. 1, meaning a five-axle truck with an E-ZPass that’s currently paying $35 to run the entire 241 miles across the state will pay $36.

By 2023, the same truck will pay an estimated $45.75 if the toll rates increase by 2.7% every year in the next decade.

A five-axle truck without an E-ZPass will pay $45.25 starting Jan. 1 compared with the current $44.  In 2023, the toll for that non-E-ZPass truck would have increased to $57.50.

Davis said truckers are also accepting of the new toll rate schedule because the toll rates are not part of a plan to lease the turnpike to a private operator.

The leasing idea was at one time advanced by Gov. John Kasich (R).