IL highway toll scam (Hampshire, Virginia: island, drive, tollway)

[Kluch]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

A little off topic, but since many of us travel to/from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida etc. on I-65, watch out for a total scam when you cross the Indiana/Kentucky border. They built a new bridge (JFK Memorial Bridge) which is a $5 toll each way for a one minute ride over the river. Google Maps will take you right over it unless you tell it to avoid tolls. You'll get a bill in the mail from RiveLink.com showing your plates and that you owe them for the toll even though it's not posted as you drive over it. The way to avoid this is to tell google maps to avoid tolls after you hit Indiana.

$5? We've cross this bridge many times when leaving Indiana and traveling to Florida. It's easily avoided by taking a different bridge with a short detour into downtown. However I think it's cheaper than $5, especially if you have an I-pass. I suppose it would be $5 if you wait for them to bill you via mail (then they'll add a billing fee, etc.).

[flamadiddle]

Originally Posted by Kluch

$5? We've cross this bridge many times when leaving Indiana and traveling to Florida. It's easily avoided by taking a different bridge with a short detour into downtown. However I think it's cheaper than $5, especially if you have an I-pass. I suppose it would be $5 if you wait for them to bill you via mail (then they'll add a billing fee, etc.).

https://turnpikeinfo.com/toll-calcul...state=kentucky

says $4.42 for unregistered plates. I'll make sure to set "avoid tolls" if we go that route again. Had no idea there was a toll there.

[Kluch]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

https://turnpikeinfo.com/toll-calcul...state=kentucky

says $4.42 for unregistered plates. I'll make sure to set "avoid tolls" if we go that route again. Had no idea there was a toll there.

Ya, they added it a year or two ago. It hasn't been there "forever" by any means. I remember seeing signs about it starting to be enforced as a toll bridge a few years back on our drives to florida. But, like I said, you can easily avoid it by taking the bridge that parallels it into the city and then take a few side streets and your back on the highway. It's like a 4-5 min detour.

[GWoodle]

2021 Changes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 17, 2021) – New toll rates for three bridges connecting Louisville and Southern Indiana begin July 1, 2021. Rates will range from $2.21 to $13.26, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a prepaid account.

Drivers with prepaid accounts in good standing and transponders pay the lowest toll rates and save more than $2 per crossing. In a passenger vehicle, the savings is 50% per crossing. The easiest way to maintain a positive account balance is by choosing auto-replenishment and linking the account to a valid payment method.

Toll revenue is used to meet the financial obligations of the Ohio River Bridges Project and to pay for operations and maintenance of the bridges and roadways in the project area.

Tolling is in place on the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 Kennedy Bridge and SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge connecting Prospect, Ky. and Utica, Ind.

Toll rates increase annually by 2.5 percent unless the rate of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) is higher. Tolling, a bi-state effort between Indiana and Kentucky, started Dec. 30, 2016.

From Chicago maybe use I-57 & I-24. No tolls.
Something to watch is new I-69 bridge at Evansville. May replace old US 41 bridge someday,

[Seguinite]

Originally Posted by flamadiddle

... They built a new bridge (JFK Memorial Bridge) ...

The new bridge is the Lincoln; they just added tolls to the Kennedy as well.

I hate tolls just on principle, but that they'd start tolling the Kennedy bridge after it being there for 40 years is even worse.

[Mathguy]

For comparison, I got a bill in the mail the other day from Texas Tollway Authority as someone I let use my car missed 2 tolls down there back 3 months ago.

Total cost? $3

No, that's not a typo just three dollars (roughly).

Refreshing considering I know how much some states will gouge you.

[gentlearts]

I don’t know if the tolls are a ripoff or not but I just called the IPass customer service to make sure my info was current, and they are the nicest, most helpful people. They use clients from something called Lighthouse, which employs people with handicaps or disabilities.

[Mathguy]

I've had an I-PASS for over 20 years and never had any issues.

Apparently it works in other states too, which I didn't know.

If you even just occasionally drive into the area, it's totally worth it.

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

I've had an I-PASS for over 20 years and never had any issues...

...If you even just occasionally drive into the area, it's totally worth it.

For occasional use, you can now register your plate info with the Tollway Authority, and link a credit/debit card. You pay a little more per toll than with an I-PASS, but you don't have to have the transponder device in your car, and you don't have to maintain a positive balance.

[Lillie767]

Many states accept E-ZPass. It makes traveling around the eastern part of the US very E-Z. I keep the transponder in my glove compartment and snap it on the windshield if I am traveling to an included state.


E-ZPass is currently accepted in the following states:

Delaware Florida Illinois Indiana Kentucky
Maine Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota New Hampshire
New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Virginia West Virginia