Tolling FAQs

Tolling will only be in place on the future I-69 bridge. The bridge is expected to open to traffic in 2031, and tolling is expected to start by January 1, 2032.

No. ORX tolling will be all-electronic tolling.

All-electronic tolling is a cashless tolling system that eliminates the need for toll booths. Vehicles pass under gantries that either read a transponder in the windshield of the car to deduct the toll from a prepaid account or cameras capture a picture of the license plate, and a bill is sent. The lowest toll rates are for drivers with prepaid accounts and transponders.

Gantries will be located in both Indiana and Kentucky as drivers approach the I-69 bridge.

Initial toll rates are expected to range from $3.14 for a passenger vehicle with a prepaid account and transponder to $18.62 for a large vehicle without an account or transponder. The rates mirror those anticipated to be in place for tolled bridges in Louisville, Kentucky in 2032.

Yes. Toll rates are for a single crossing on the new I-69 bridge. Only the I-69 bridge is expected to be tolled.

Toll rates will be dependent on vehicle classification (vehicle height and the number of axles) and whether the driver has a prepaid account and transponder. 

Drivers in passenger vehicles with transponders and prepaid accounts in good standing save nearly 50% off the standard toll rate of $6.25 per crossing. Bills will be mailed to drivers without prepaid accounts.

A transponder is a small device – either a sticker or small hard case device – that is attached to a vehicle’s windshield. It communicates with overhead gantries, automatically deducting tolls from a prepaid account. It eliminates the need to stop for cash payments and ensures the lowest toll rates are paid, and there’s never a need for a bill to be sent as long as the account maintains a positive balance.

Tolling is expected to start by January 1, 2032. Several months before the start of tolling, drivers will be able to set up prepaid accounts and get transponders. Those efforts will be well publicized with ample time to set up accounts and get transponders before the start of tolling.

Toll rates are adjusted annually to keep up with inflation. Rates will be adjusted every July 1, starting July 1, 2033. Rates are adjusted 2.5% unless the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, is higher. 

Once the financial obligations of ORX Section 2 are met, future policymakers will decide when tolling will end. It’s too early to know an exact date, but it’s anticipated those financial obligations would be in place for 35-40 years.

All-electronic tolling has been around for decades and is the fastest and most efficient way to enjoy the benefits of the new bridge without stopping traffic to pay a toll. To help ensure that everyone pays their fair share, fees will be added to unpaid bills. The first bill includes no fee. If unpaid, the second bill includes a $5 administrative fee. A third bill includes a $25 violation fee, and a fourth bill includes an additional $30 collection fee.

Tolls and fees can move to collections after four unpaid bills. Vehicle registration holds are also possible after four unpaid bills and are an important enforcement tool.

It’s important to know anticipated tolling rates to forecast toll revenue, which will be used to secure a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program loan for the project before construction can begin. Anticipated toll rates are needed for the required investment-grade Traffic and Revenue study. It’s also important for drivers to know what initial toll rates are expected to be.

A financial plan must be in place for projects to move forward, and funding must be identified.

Governor Beshear advocated for the project to move forward without tolls, but the Kentucky General Assembly passed a law mandating the need to establish a tolling system.

There are many transportation needs in both states, and dollars are limited. Tolling serves as important alternative funding that can allow important projects not only to move forward, but to happen as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.

The toll rates are expected to be the same. Initial toll rates mirror anticipated toll rates in Louisville in Fiscal Year 2032. Toll rates are adjusted annually to keep pace with inflation.

The ORX Tolling Body is comprised of the chairman of the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority (KPTIA), a person designated by the chairman, the secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), the commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), and a person designated by the commissioner of INDOT. Since Sec. Jim Gray is KPTIA chairman, another designee is named. The Tolling Body is responsible for developing tolling policies, including toll rates and business rules.

Members of the ORX Tolling Body are:

• Jim Gray | KYTC Secretary and KPTIA Chair
• Geri Grigsby | Designated for KPTIA Chair (Deputy Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet)
• Jack Whitfield | KPTIA Chair Designee (Hopkins County Judge Executive)
• Lyndsay Quist | INDOT Commissioner
• Clark Packer | INDOT Commissioner Designee (INDOT Deputy Commissioner of Operations)

Toll service providers for roadside and back-office operations have not been named yet. The roadside provider is in charge of the installation, operation and maintenance of equipment that captures bridge crossings. Back-office operations include image review, invoicing, and customer service centers including a call center.

Branding for the ORX tolling system has not been determined. The ORX Tolling Body is comprised of representatives from both states and will approve a toll service provider.

Authorized emergency vehicles registered with the ORX tolling system will be exempt from ORX tolls.

Earlier this year, KPTIA recognized that U.S. Highway 41 will be a concurrent route with I-69. The U.S. 41 corridor will be signed Kentucky Route 2341 and Indiana Route 141. The states will seek to remove the existing roadway from the National Truck Network and create the safest environment possible for drivers and preserve the infrastructure in place.