DELAWARE - Drivers traveling on Route 1 in Delaware will now pay more at toll plazas, as DelDOT increased rates Friday.
For example, for Delaware E-ZPass holders, going through tolls at the Dover and Biddles plazas have risen from $1 to $1.50 each on weekdays, totaling $3 for a round trip. On weekends, tolls increase from $3 to $4 each, bringing the total to $8.
Roberta Lichter, a Rehoboth Beach resident, supports the increase.
“I think it’s well worth the total increase, the money that it will generate and what it will do for our roads,” she said.
Drivers without a Delaware E-ZPass, including cash users and out-of-state pass holders, face steeper increases. Weekday tolls rose from $1 to $2.50 at each plaza, or $5 round trip. On weekends, tolls doubled from $3 to $6 at each location, totaling $12.
Not all travelers are on board.
“I think it’s ridiculous. They quadrupled the cost to go up a highway,” said Jay King, a visitor from Texas.
Others, like Anthony Detruzzelli, said they weren’t aware of the costs at all.
DelDOT estimates the toll hike will bring in about $40 million for road improvement projects.
The toll hike is the first in a decade, and DelDOT says it's long overdue.
You can view DelDOT's toll calculator here.