NORFOLK, Va. — If you’re a Hampton Roads driver you’re no stranger to tolls. Even though you’re only charged a few dollars at a time, if you’re commuting daily, those charges can take a toll on your wallet.
“I stopped going to my doctors in Portsmouth because every time I have to go I pay a toll, there and back,” said Norfolk resident, Alexis Rose.
Whether you’re going to work or running errands, you could find yourself paying more than you’d like to get to your destination.
Luckily, there are multiple ways to find discounts on your tolls. Firstly, there’s EZ Pass. By simply signing up for EZ Pass and attaching it to your car, you could save yourself up to 65% on tolls.
“We want them to pay the lowest toll possible,” said Carley Brierre, Communications Manager with Elizabeth River Crossings.
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However, you can also find relief through Elizabeth River Crossings, which offers a program for drivers who go through the downtown or midtown tunnels. If you make less than $65,000 and live in Hampton Roads, you qualify for 50% off 14 trips per week. That’s two trips per day. So if you have an EZ Pass and toll relief, you’re saving 65 % and then that number is halved again.
Here are the requirements:
- Earning $65,000 or less per year
- Live in Hampton Roads
- Drive a passenger vehicle, meaning no vehicle over two axles will be eligible
Accepted proof of residency documents are below:
- Lease or mortgage
- Driver's license
- Military orders
- Utility bill
“If you’re going through the tunnel in the morning during peak hours you’re paying $3.06 with your EZ Pass rate and then you’re paying $3.06 on your way home. With toll relief, that number is down to $1.53,” Brierre told News 3.
The program started in 2017, but at the time, only people earning $30,000 or less could qualify. They’ve since upped that threshold to $65,000, and Brierre says the number of people using the program since that change has skyrocketed.
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“We have 19,191 people enrolled. That’s a 640% increase on where we were at in 2022,” she said.
ERC had committed $3.4 million in 2024 for the program. They increase that funding by 3.5% per year. If you’d like to sign up, you can stop by the DriveERT Customer Care Center on County Street in Portsmouth or one of the EZ Pass locations.
“I call it a one-stop shop location. Where you can come into this location. Take care of your passed toll bills. And then also get serviced by EZ Pass as well,” said Chris White, Supervisor of the DriveERT Center.
Here is where you can find the address for the Customer Care Center.
Here is where you can find the addresses for the EZ Pass locations.
