USDOT Federal Highway Administration USDOT Home | FHWA Home | Feedback
Skip to main content

Road Pricing Overview

Road pricing involves charging fees for the use of a roadway facility. The revenue generated may be used to pay for highway operations and maintenance or as the primary source of repayment for long-term debt used to finance a toll facility itself. There are two primary variants:

  • Tolling involves the imposition of a per-use fee on motorists to utilize a highway. Historically, these fees have involved fixed, distance-based tolls that vary by vehicle type, but not by time of day. Their primary purpose has been to generate revenue.
  • Pricing involves the imposition of fees or tolls that vary by level of vehicle demand a highway facility. Also known as congestion pricing, value pricing, variable pricing, peak-period pricing, or market-based pricing - this manages demand by imposing a fee that varies by time of day, location, type of vehicle, number of occupants, or other factors. While pricing generates revenue, this strategy also seeks to manage congestion, environmental impacts, and other external costs occasioned by road users.
183-A Turnpike - Austin, TX

183-A Turnpike - Austin, Texas

The 183-A Turnpike is an 11.6-mile controlled access north-south tolled highway east of the existing US 183 in metropolitan Austin. This regionally significant project connects to the Central Texas Turnpike System, previously funded in part with TIFIA credit assistance. 183-A was developed by the state's first Regional Mobility Authority - CTRMA - which was legislatively authorized in 2001 to form at the county level if a regional toll authority did not already exist to construct, operate, and maintain toll roads. CTRMA opened a northern 5-mile extension of the 183-A in April 2012, fully funded with the sale of toll revenue bonds.

Read project profile »

95 Express – Miami, Florida

95 Express – Miami, Florida

When fully constructed, the 95 Express will provide two express lanes in each direction and additional general purpose lane capacity for approximately 22 miles along I-95 from I-395 in Miami-Dade County to I-595 in Broward County, Florida. Phase 1 is complete, delivered as a design-build-finance project under a federal Urban Partnership Agreement. Phase 2 is a design-build project.

Read project profile »

Alaskan Way Viaduct - Seattle, Washington

Alaskan Way Viaduct - Seattle, Washington

The Alaskan Way Viaduct is an elevated section of State Highway SR 99, one of two major North-South corridors in the City of Seattle. Its reconstruction comprises two sections of replacement, one with a new viaduct section and another with a bored tunnel, as well as repairs and enhancements to a third viaduct section. This major project's financial plan includes Federal, state, and local funding, including revenue from recent increases in Washington State's motor fuel tax as well as toll proceeds.

Read project profile »

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - Porter-Whittier, Alaska

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - Porter-Whittier, Alaska

The privately operated, 2.6-mile, dual mode Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (aka Whittier Tunnel) connects the cities of Porter and Whittier on Prince William Sound, 65 miles southeast of Anchorage, Alaska. The project was funded on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Read project profile »

Central Texas Turnpike System

Central Texas Turnpike System

The Central Texas Turnpike System consists of three contiguous toll highways serving the Austin metropolitan region and the Austin-San Antonio corridor: SH 45 North, Loop 1, and SH 130 (Segments 1-4). State and local funding sources were combined with a Federal TIFIA loan to finance the project. SH 130 (Segments 1-4) was delivered via a design-build contract procured through Texas' first application of legislation permitting expanded private sector involvement.

Read project profile »

Chicago Skyway - Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Skyway - Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Skyway is a 7.8-mile elevated toll road connecting I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) in Chicago to I-90 (Indiana Toll Road) at the Indiana border. It was leased to a consortium of Cintra and Macquarie in 2005 for an upfront payment of $1.83 billion, which the City used to pay down Skyway and city debt and establish reserve funds.

Read project profile »

Delaware U.S. Route 301 - Northern Delaware

Delaware U.S. Route 301 - Northern Delaware

U.S. Route 301 in Northern Delaware will be upgraded to a four-lane, limited access toll road on new location, replacing the existing two-lane route. The 12.5-mile toll road will extend from the Maryland/Delaware state line to SR-1 and will include a 4.5-mile Spur Road extending to SR-15/SR-896. The purpose of the project is to improve safety and relieve congestion problems in the corridor. Fatality rates on the existing roadway are significantly higher than statewide and national averages. Funding for the project will mostly come through the sale of bonds (GARVEEs and toll revenue bonds), achieving the state's goal of minimizing any use of funds from the State Transportation Trust Fund.

Read project profile »

Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension - Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia

Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension - Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia

The Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension consists of five construction components involving three facilities in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The $2.1 billion project will be built on a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain (DBFOM) concession basis by Elizabeth River Crossings LLC (ERC) composed of Skanska Infrastructure Development and Macquarie Group. ERC will operate the concession for 58 years. Tolling of the existing Midtown and Downtown Tunnels to help finance the project will commence in January 2014.

Read project profile »

Dulles Greenway - Loudoun County, Virginia

Dulles Greenway - Loudoun County, Virginia

The Dulles Greenway is a 14-mile, limited-access, privately financed highway extending from the State-owned Dulles Toll Road - which carries traffic between Washington's Capital Beltway and Dulles Airport - to Leesburg. The two roads connect at a toll plaza. Drivers pay one toll, which the operators of the two facilities divide.

Read project profile »

E-470 Tollway - Denver, Colorado

E-470 Tollway - Denver, Colorado

The E-470 is a 47-mile orbital toll road running along the eastern perimeter of the Denver metropolitan area. The tollway was financed entirely by private enterprise and the E-470 Public Highway Authority using an innovative mix of revenue sources including: tolls: vehicle registration fees, a highway expansion impact fee, and private sector contributions ranging from office space, to right-of-way, property assessments, and monetary donations.

Read project profile »

Foley Beach Express - Baldwin County, Alabama

Foley Beach Express - Baldwin County, Alabama

The Foley Beach Express (Beach Express) is a 13.5-mile limited access, privately-operated four-lane route from the City of Foley to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Perdido Key in Alabama. It is in alternative to the heavily traveled Highway 59.

Read project profile »

I-4 / Selmon Expressway Connector - Tampa, Florida

I-4 / Selmon Expressway Connector - Tampa, Florida

The I-4 Connector is an elevated north-south toll road that will connect I-4 with the Selmon Expressway, two major east-west corridors in the Tampa region. The Connector will have exclusive truck lanes to provide direct access to the Port of Tampa and remove commercial traffic from local roads in Ybor City. The project is being delivered using a design-build-finance approach.

Read project profile »

I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes - Fairfax County, Virginia

I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes - Fairfax County, Virginia

The I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes project is a P3 between VDOT and Capital Beltway Express, LLC, a joint venture of Fluor and Transurban. Improvements include 14 miles of twin HOT lanes in each direction, the replacement of more than 50 bridges and overpasses, and interchange upgrades. Financing includes the first-ever combination of TIFIA credit assistance and private activity bonds (PABs).

Read project profile »

I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements - Broward County, Florida

I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements - Broward County, Florida

The I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements project consists of the reconstruction and widening of 10.5 miles of the I-595 mainline from the I-75/Sawgrass Expressway to I-95. The project is being implemented as a P3 between FDOT and a private concessionaire, I-595 Express, LLC, to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the roadway for a 35-year term. FDOT will make availability payments backed by Federal and state resources for the concessionaire's successful completion of construction and ongoing operations. The concessionaire's financing, backed by these availability payments, includes senior bank debt, a TIFIA loan, and private equity.

Read project profile »

I-95 HOV/HOT Lanes - Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford Counties, Virginia

I-95 HOV/HOT Lanes - Fairfax, Prince William, and Stafford Counties, Virginia

The I-95 Express Lanes will be the second step in creating a regional network of tolled managed lanes in Northern Virginia. The project consists of the development, design, finance, construction, maintenance and operation of 29.4 miles of high occupancy toll lanes along I-95 and I-395 from Garrisonville Rd. in Stafford County to Edsall Rd. in Fairfax County over a 76-year concession period.

Read project profile »

IH 635 Managed Lanes - Dallas County, Texas

IH 635 Managed Lanes - Dallas County, Texas

The IH-635 (LBJ Freeway) Managed Lanes Project will relieve congestion north of Dallas on a 13-mile stretch of the LBJ Freeway with reconstruction of its main lanes and frontage roads and the addition of six managed lanes along I-635 (subsurface) and I-35E (elevated). The project is being built as a P3 (Comprehensive Development Agreement [CDA]) between TxDOT and LBJ Infrastructure Group, which will operate and maintain the facility for 52 years.

Read project profile »

Indiana Toll Road - Indiana

Indiana Toll Road - Indiana

In operation since 1956, the Indiana Toll Road stretches 157 miles across the northernmost part of Indiana from its border with Ohio to the Illinois state line, where it provides the primary connection to the Chicago Skyway and downtown Chicago. The Indiana Toll Road was leased to a consortium of Cintra and Macquarie in 2006 for an upfront payment of $3.8 billion, which is primarily being reinvested in statewide roadway and bridge improvement projects.

Read project profile »

Intercounty Connector - Maryland

Intercounty Connector - Maryland

The Intercounty Connector (ICC) is a toll highway linking existing and proposed development areas between the I-270/I-370 and I-95/US 1 corridors within central and eastern Montgomery County and northwestern Prince George's County, Maryland. The project is largely supported by GARVEE and toll revenue bonds, as well as a TIFIA loan and State Transportation Trust Fund and General Fund revenues.

Read project profile »

Katy Freeway Reconstruction
							- Houston, Texas

Katy Freeway Reconstruction - Houston, Texas

TxDOT undertook a major five-year reconstruction of a 12-mile section of the east-west Katy Freeway from west of SH 6 to the I-10/610 interchange west of Houston. The reconstruction widened the Katy to provide six general purpose highway lanes in each direction and two variably priced high occupancy toll lanes in the median of the highway. The financing of the $2.8 billion project has involved an innovative collaboration between TxDOT and the Harris County Toll Road Authority, combining toll-backed debt with more traditional grant funding.

Read project profile »

LA 1 Improvements - Leeville, Louisiana

LA 1 Improvements - Leeville, Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is in the process of replacing a major portion of existing LA 1 highway near Leeville, Louisiana, with a lengthy, 18-mile bridge. This area of the state's sensitive wetlands has been featured nationally as being the victim of coastal erosion and ground subsidence.

Read project profile »

North Tarrant Express - Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

North Tarrant Express - Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

TxDOT awarded two Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDA - equivalent to a P3) for the North Tarrant Express project to NTE Mobility Partners. The Concession CDA for Phase 1 includes the design, development, construction, finance, maintenance, and operation of 13 miles along Interstate (IH) 820 and SH 121/SH 183 north and east from Fort Worth. The duration of the concession is 52 years. The roadway is being reconstructed with the addition of two managed lanes and an additional general purpose lane in each direction. The CDA for Segments 2-4 includes developing master plans for the remainder of the NTE.

Read project profile »

Northwest Corridor Project – Atlanta, Georgia

Northwest Corridor Project – Atlanta, Georgia

The Northwest Corridor project will include extensions of existing HOV lanes and the addition of reversible tolled managed lanes along sections of nearly 30 miles of I-75 and I-575 northwest of Atlanta. The nearly $1 billion project will delivered using a design-build-finance approach.

Read project profile »

Pocahontas Parkway / Richmond Airport Connector - Greater Richmond, Virginia

Pocahontas Parkway / Richmond Airport Connector - Greater Richmond, Virginia

This $354 million project was financed by tax-exempt toll revenue bonds issues by a 63-20 corporation. It is the first transportation project implemented under Virginia's Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995. The Parkway was leased to a private toll road operator in 2007. The deal defeased its underlying debt and included the construction of the 1.6-mile Richmond Airport Connector, which opened in January 2011.

Read project profile »

President George  Turnpike

President George Turnpike - North Dallas, Texas

The President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) is a 30.5-mile circumferential toll roadway connecting various cities in the northern part of the Dallas Metroplex. The original PGBT was fully opened in 2006 and was the first project to benefit from USDOT's TE-045 innovative finance provisions including a Section 129 loan, partial conversion of advance construction, and the use of flexible match. Construction on an Eastern Extension began in October 2008 and was opened in December 2011. The project was sponsored by the North Texas Tollway Authority and financed by toll-backed revenue bonds and other state and local resources.

Read project profile »

President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension (SH 161) - Dallas, Texas

President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension (SH 161) - Dallas, Texas

State Highway (SH) 161, the President George Bush Turnpike Western Extension (PGBT WE), will provide a new, approximately 11.5-mile link between SH 183, I-30, and I-20 as part of a western loop around Dallas through the cities of Irving and Grand Prairie south of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This toll road was completed in four phases. The first three were constructed by TxDOT and the remaining phase and overall ownership and operation has become the responsibility of the North Texas Tollway Authority under a concession agreement signed in 2008.

Read project profile »

Puerto Rico PR-22 and PR-5 Lease - Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico PR-22 and PR-5 Lease - Puerto Rico

PR-22 and PR-5, heavily traveled toll roads stretching about 55 miles along the northern coast of Puerto Rico from Bayamon westward through San Juan to Arecibo, are being leased to consortium of Goldman Sachs and Abertis. The total $1.436 billion administrative concession will finance, rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the facilities over 40 years. Of that total, $1,080 million is an upfront payment of which at least 90% will be used to defease all outstanding tax-exempt toll-revenue debt ($902 million), and approximately $350 million will be expended on expected upgrades over the concession period, $56 million of which will be spent in the first three years on "accelerated safety improvements."

Read project profile »

SH 130 (Segments 5-6) - Texas

SH 130 (Segments 5-6) - Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

SH 130 is a four-lane, 91-mile toll road east and south of Austin designed to relieve congestion on the heavily traveled I-35, the primary north-south route through Central Texas. Segments 5 and 6 have been developed through a 50-year concession (Comprehensive Development Agreement) with the SH 130 Concession Company (a joint venture of Cintra and Zachry American Infrastructure). They were financed with senior bank debt, a TIFIA loan, and private equity. Segments 1-4 were constructed under a design-build project as part of the Central Texas Turnpike System.

Read project profile »

South Bay Expressway (formerly SR 125 South Toll Road) - San Diego County, California

South Bay Expressway (formerly SR 125 South Toll Road) - San Diego County, California

The South Bay Expressway toll road is a 9.2-mile privately-funded southern extension of SR 125, extending from SR 905 near the International Border to SR 54 near Sweetwater Reservoir in San Diego, California. The original operator, South Bay Expressway, L.P., held a 35-year franchise with the State of California under which it financed and built the highway, then transferred ownership to the State. The concessionaire emerged from bankruptcy in April 2011 as South Bay Expressway, LLC, and sold the toll road to the San Diego Association of Governments in December 2011.

Read project profile »

SR 520 Floating Bridge - Seattle, Washington Metropolitan Area

SR 520 Floating Bridge - Seattle, Washington Metropolitan Area

SR 520 is one of two major east-west roadways crossing Lake Washington, located within King County and the Seattle metropolitan area in the State of Washington. The SR 520 Floating Bridge and Eastside plus West Approach Bridge Project includes the replacement of the existing floating bridge across Lake Washington, the widening of the roadway to the east and accommodation of a transit/HOV lane, and the west approach project connecting to the floating bridge on the Seattle side. Project financing includes toll-backed revenue bonds and a TIFIA loan supported by tolls collected on the existing and replacement bridges, in combination with other federal and state funding.

Read project profile »

Triangle Parkway - Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Triangle Expressway - Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

The 18.8-mile Triangle Expressway, composed of three sections, provides congestion relief on existing north-south routes serving the Research Triangle Park region (including I-40) between Raleigh and Durham. The project is being financed with toll and state revenue bonds and a $386 million TIFIA loan.

Read project profile »

U.S. 36 Managed Lanes / Bus Rapid Transit Project: Segments 1 and 2 - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

U.S. 36 Managed Lanes / Bus Rapid Transit Project: Segments 1 and 2 - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

A 10-mile stretch of U.S. 36, a four-lane divided highway connecting Denver and Boulder, will be reconstructed and augmented with a single HOT lane in each direction as part of an initial phase of planned upgrades over this 18-mile corridor. The design-build project will also include the reconstruction of five bridges, accommodations for bus rapid transit, provision for ITS, improvements to commuter rail stations, and a bikeway. Financing includes a TIFIA loan facilitated by a TIGER grant, as well as a mixture of federal, state, and local funding, including $120 million from the Regional Transportation District's FasTracks program supported by a regional sales tax. The project's second phase will extend the work another five miles toward Boulder and is being procured as a DBFOM P3, where the concessionaire is expected to operate and maintain the entire U.S. 36 HOT lane corridor as well as the existing I-25 Express Lanes that start at its southern terminus.

Read project profile »

Featured Resources