More than 2,000 Hampton Roads residents sign up for toll relief

Published February 24, 2017 by Veronica Garabelli

More than 2,000 Norfolk and Portsmouth residents will receive financial assistance for use of the Downtown and Midtown tunnels, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.

The toll relief, offered to Norfolk and Portsmouth residents with incomes of less than $30,000, offers a 75-cent refund for each trip in the Downtown and Midtown tunnels beginning March 1.

Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC), operator of the Elizabeth River Tunnels, has agreed to pay the Commonwealth $500,000 a year for 10 years to fund the Toll Relief program.

Once a qualified participant’s Virginia E-ZPass transponder has recorded eight trips or more through the Downtown or Midtown tunnels during a calendar month, a 75-cent per trip refund will be credited to his or her Virginia E-ZPass account.

Toll Relief is a 10-year program. The 2017 application period began Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, and concluded Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017. The 2018 application period begins Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, and will run through Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.

For more information, visit www.VDOTTollRelief.com