LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville-area drivers who travel between Kentucky and Indiana may be paying more for their commute this week. Rate increases for the RiverLink tolls kick in Thursday.
What You Need To Know
- The rate increase applies to tolls on the Abraham Lincoln Bridge, the Kennedy Bridge and the Lewis and Clark Bridge
- It's a 2.5% increase
- Rates will range from $2.21 per crossing to $13.26 per crossing depending on the size of the vehicle and payment method
- Toll revenue is used to meet financial obligations of the Ohio River Bridges Project and to pay for operations and maintenance of the bridges and roadways in the project area
Toll rates increase 2.5% Thursday for the tolls on the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 Kennedy Bridge and SR256/KY841 Lewis and Clark Bridge.
As for how much that will cost you, it all depends on the size of your vehicle and the payment method. This figure from RiverLink details how much the new rate will be per crossing based on those factors.
The increase is part of a fixed payment plan to cover Kentucky and Indiana's financial obligations for the Ohio River Bridges Project and to pay for operations and maintenance of the bridges and roads in the project area. Those rates increase 2.5% annually unless the rate of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) is higher.
As expected, volume was down in 2020 as people stayed at home more during the pandemic. The 2020 Annual Progress Report found there were 27.4 million crossings on all three tolled bridges in 2020, which is an 18% decrease.
Despite the disruption in travel and crossings, increases were seen in the number of drivers with prepaid accounts and transponders. RiverLink said those with prepaid accounts in good standing and transponders save more than $2 per crossing.
The report shows there were 5% more prepaid accounts and 3% more transponders in 2020 than in 2019.
Since pandemic restrictions eased, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is seeing travel volume increase after that 2020 dip. Here is the number of crossings KYTC has seen on the tolled bridges so far in 2021:
- Jan: 2,166,016
- Feb: 1,917,088
- March: 2,701,382
- April: 2,687,724
- May: 2,696,962
The traffic volume plays a role in how much revenue comes in to pay back the debt on the $2.3 billion project. RiverLink said tolling started on Dec. 30, 2016. It won't end until 2053 at the earliest.
The latest report from RiverLink shows from the start of tolling to the end of 2020, $386.9 million has been collected from tolls. Since it's a two-state project, that comes out to a little over $193 million for both Kentucky and Indiana to pay back debts for each states' respective roles in the project.
A KYTC year-end financial report indicates toll revenue is slightly exceeding expectations.