North Carolina Triangle Expressway toll rates to increase Jan. 1

Toll rates for the Triangle Expressway will increase on Jan. 1, as required by the bond covenant created for funding the highway.

For NC Quick Pass customers traveling the 17.4 miles on the Triangle Expressway between N.C. 147 at I-40 and the N.C. 55 Bypass, the cost will increase 12 cents to $3.37. For bill-by-mail customers, the cost will go up 20 cents to $5.17.

Toll revenue is used to help pay off the bonds sold to fund the $1 billion highway, as well as overall maintenance including road repairs, signs, mowing and winter weather preparation and response.

In 2008, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority Board adopted a schedule of annual toll rate increases based on the financing requirements of the Triangle Expressway project, which set an average 3.5 percent increase for 2019.