HENRICO COUNTY, Va - Drivers who use the Pocahontas Parkway as a bypass to eastern Henrico start the new year paying more at the toll plaza. The private company that operates and maintains the 8.8 mile parkway announced the following rate changes:
- Main toll plaza -- $3.25 to $4
- Secondary toll points (Laburnum Ave./New Market Rd.) -- $1.50 to $2.25.
“Increased toll revenue will go toward operations and maintenance of the road, and to pay for the cost of financing the road,” Mary Ellin Arch, spokeswoman for Pocahontas Parkway, said. Arch said a major re-surfacing project is scheduled to begin this year.
The Pocahontas Parkway relies solely on revenues from toll collection to fund all maintenance projects and operations since they receive no state or federal funding, Arch added.
The current operators took over the parkway in 2014 after an Australian company, Transurban, walked away from their investment in the project because of financial troubles, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Transurban pointed to a lack of business development in eastern Henrico when news of their struggling investment first came to light.
The Pocahontas Parkway stretches from Interstate 95 at the Chippenham Parkway to Interstate 295 in Henrico County.
