Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Virginia will join 14 other states and charge a monthly fee for an E-ZPass transponder.
Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Tamara Rollison says the fee is expected to be about a $1 a month in Virginia. Maryland charges a $1.50 a month.
“Our administrative costs are going to go up because we have to buy more transponders. We have to upgrade our technology,” said Rollison.
VDOT expects demand for the passes to go up by about 500,000 transponders once the Express Lanes open on the Capital Beltway and Interstates 95 and 395.
That could be followed in a year or two with more tolls on I-95 south of Fredericksburg.
The monthly fee could begin as early as July.
Virginia will not charge users a $25 deposit on the transponder which many states do.
E-ZPass is used by 24 states, mostly on the East Coast. The tolls are collected electronically and charged to the driver’s account which is replenished with a credit card.
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