Tolls along the Pennsylvania Turnpike will go up for the 15th straight year starting in January.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on Tuesday approved a toll increase of about 5% for E-ZPass and Toll by Plate customers, the same as last year. The new rates will go into effect on Jan. 8.

The commission said the increase will boost the highway system’s most common toll for passenger vehicles from $1.70 to $1.80 for E-ZPass users and from $4.10 to $4.40 for Toll by Plate customers. For Class-5 tractor-trailers, that toll will go up from $13.70 to $14.40 for E-ZPass users and from $28 to $29.40 for Toll By Plate customers.

E-ZPass members will continue to have the lowest rates on the Turnpike, saving nearly 60% compared to Toll By Plate rates, the commission said.

The toll hike is related to Act 44 of 2007, which required the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to transfer between $450 million and $900 million annually to PennDOT to support transportation projects across the state. A law passed in 2013, Act 89, dropped the annual payments to $50 million starting this year.

Over the past 15 years, the Turnpike Commission has transferred nearly $8 billion to PennDOT. The commission borrowed $15 billion to help meet its funding obligations to PennDOT and is repaying that debt over 30 years.

The debt payments are expected to reach a high of $600 million by 2038.

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“The PTC has been forced to increase tolls annually through the foreseeable future to meet its financial obligations under Act 44 of 2007,” Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton said.

Despite the annual toll increases, Compton said the per-mile toll rate “continues to be below the midline compared with rates of other U.S. tolling agencies.”

The commission said E-ZPass rates along the turnpike rank 24th out of 47 U.S. tolling agencies, and the 13.8 cents-per-mile rate is 20% lower than the national average of 17.8 cents per mile.

Based on current traffic and revenue projections, the commission said it plans to increase rates 5% a year through 2025, 4% in 2026, 3.5% in 2027 and then 3% annually from 2028 to 2050.

“As an organization, I am proud of the fact that we work hard to manage the debt placed upon us by making prudent borrowing decisions and restricting operating-budget growth,” Compton said. “A measure of relief is under way, and motorists can expect the level of increases to ease in a few years.”

Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, said many residents are beyond outrage and simply try to avoid the Turnpike when possible.

“While people may roll their eyes, you’re not seeing the outcry you may have seen in the beginning because everybody’s so used to it,” he said Tuesday. “The damage has been done.”

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