RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)—Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is proposing a monthly fee increase of about $1 per E-ZPass transponder.
VDOT has said there will be no public hearings on the fee increase, because state law does not require that they have them, but now Virginia residents have a chance to weigh-in with comments.
The E-ZPass program will be doubling over the next several years as new toll roads open. VDOT said that costs for maintaining and operating the program will grow as does the E-ZPass program.
Tolls will be collected electronically by charging E-ZPass accounts. VDOT said that the proposed monthly fee would cover costs for:
- Buying nearly one-half million transponders
- Implementing a retail program where transponders can be obtained at various stores in Northern Virginia and eventually Hampton Roads
- Providing service at select DMV locations
- Upgrading information technology to accommodate the expanded program
- Account management and processing of toll transactions (managing billing of all transactions)
- Customer service and the operations of three customer service centers.
VDOT is accepting public comments through 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, 2012.
All comments will be reviewed and taken into consideration prior to the final decision on the proposed fee structure. VDOT said they started taking comments April 19, 2012.
Citizens can go to http://www.virginiadot.org/e-zpass for information on the proposed monthly fee increase and provide their comments online. They can submit their comments directly to vdotinfo@vdot.virginia.gov or mail them to:
