Tolls in Hampton Roads bring in $180M a year, and growing

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Collecting tolls in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region generates about $180 million a year.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that’s nearly twice the size of the region’s fishing and farming sectors combined, and it’s set to rise.

The Virginia Department of Transportation and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization are considering how far to extend Norfolk’s High Occupancy Toll Lanes.

In addition, the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission is looking to HOT lanes to pay for about 10% of its $3.5 billion commitment to fix the areas worst bottleneck at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

The panel’s six-year plan projects collecting between $3.5 million and $4.5 million a year, beginning in fiscal 2023. That money, along with toll collections for years to come, will pay for some $345 million toward the project.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com