Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls set to increase beginning Sunday
Travelers on one of Pennsylvania’s busiest highways can expect to pay a bit more starting this weekend.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced Tuesday the 2026 toll schedule will go into effect Sunday, Jan. 4, bringing a 4% rate hike across most of the system, the smallest annual increase in more than a decade.
The increase applies to both E-ZPass users and Toll By Plate customers and continues a pattern of annual adjustments connected to long-term transportation funding laws.
Commission officials said the additional revenue will be devoted to paying debt service tied to Act 44, a 2007 law that requires the turnpike to help subsidize statewide transit and transportation needs outside of its own road network.
Since those obligations began in 2008, the turnpike has transferred more than $8 billion to the commonwealth, according to the commission.
On the Turnpike’s mainline and the Northeast Extension, where tolls are based on distance and segmented pricing, the per-mile passenger rate will go from 7 cents to 7.3 cents.
The flat segment fee will move from $1.09 to $1.13.
Other extensions that lack distance-based tolling technology will see a straight 4% increase applied to current trip prices, according to the news release.
All tolls are rounded up to the nearest cent.
The E-ZPass rate for a trip will increase from $1.86 to $1.94, while Toll By Plate will go from $3.72 to $3.88. For a typical Class-5 tractor-trailer, the common toll will move from $23.16 to $24.12 with E-ZPass and from $46.32 to $48.24 with Toll By Plate.
The agency expects smaller hikes in coming years, which include a 3.5% hike in 2027 and a 3% hike in 2028, according to the schedule. Prior to Act 44, the Turnpike raised tolls only five times over its first 64 years, according to the release.
Despite the recurring price increases, the commission claims that its E-ZPass passenger-vehicle rates remain below the national average when compared with toll facilities across the country.
The commission noted that customers who download the turnpike’s mobile app and enroll in an autopay account can receive a 15% discount on their monthly Toll By Plate invoices.
Motorists planning trips can also estimate costs ahead of time using the Turnpike’s online toll calculator, which allows users to enter entry and exit points, vehicle class and payment method to compare prices.
The 2026 toll schedule, including rate tables and additional information on payment options, is available on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s website.
