Tolls in Virginia

Virginia tolls depend on the road or crossing, vehicle classification, payment method, and sometimes the time or direction of travel. E-ZPass works throughout Virginia's toll system, but cash, credit cards, plate billing, and missed-payment procedures vary by operator. Start with the Virginia toll-facility directory, then use the relevant operator's schedule for the vehicle and journey you are planning.

For a truck or container shipment, the calculation needs to cover the complete operation. The loaded delivery, empty-container return, chassis handoff, and any later collection trip can encounter different toll points. A passenger-car estimate or a single outbound charge can leave a substantial expense outside the freight price.

A qualifying five-axle truck crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, for example, pays $48 per crossing under its published schedule. Two crossings are $96, before any other road tolls. The much lower passenger-vehicle return prices do not apply to that truck category. The CBBT toll schedule illustrates why the vehicle description matters as much as the route.

Rates and payment rules checked October 25, 2026. This guide covers Virginia's principal toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and express lanes, with particular attention to truck and drayage costs. Use the schedule applicable to the actual travel date and confirm the route's operating restrictions before dispatch.

Find the right road and operator

Virginia's toll facilities are concentrated in three regions. Identifying the region helps narrow the search, but the individual operator determines the rate and payment process.

• Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore: Downtown and Midtown tunnels, South Norfolk Jordan Bridge, Dominion Boulevard Veterans Bridge, Chesapeake Expressway, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and I-64 Express Lanes.
• Richmond and Chesterfield: Pocahontas Parkway, RMTA Powhite Parkway, Downtown Expressway, Boulevard Bridge, and VDOT Powhite Parkway Extension.
• Northern Virginia: Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Greenway, I-66 Inside and Outside the Beltway, and I-95/395/495 Express Lanes.

Several names are easy to confuse. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on US 13 connects Virginia Beach with the Eastern Shore. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel on I-64 connects the Peninsula with Norfolk. Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge is another facility entirely.

Similarly, the Dulles Greenway and Dulles Toll Road connect but have separate operators and tariffs. Richmond's RMTA Powhite Parkway and VDOT Powhite Parkway Extension also require separate checks. Paying one operator does not settle another operator's charge.

For port work, establish the exact terminal before selecting a crossing. Norfolk International Terminals is in Norfolk; Virginia International Gateway is in Portsmouth. The Norfolk terminal, rail-ramp, and depot guide explains the facilities and equipment destinations behind a shipment described simply as “Norfolk port.”

Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore tolls

The region combines tolled river crossings, a long bridge-tunnel to the Eastern Shore, and crossings without a road toll. A rate comparison needs the truck's actual approach and destination; these facilities are not interchangeable routes between the same two points.

Downtown and Midtown tunnels

The Downtown Tunnel on I-264 and Midtown Tunnel on US 58 connect Norfolk and Portsmouth. Elizabeth River Crossings operates both. Their tolls vary by vehicle category, travel period, and payment method; use the operator's current tunnel-rate page to select the applicable tariff.

E-ZPass and Pay by Plate are the relevant payment methods. Account for each tunnel passage on the selected itinerary, and keep the underlying toll distinct from any plate-processing or later collection charge.

Both tunnels have a 13-foot-6-inch maximum height, according to VDOT's bridge and tunnel guidance. Check the actual tractor, chassis, container, and attached equipment. A rate published for a heavy vehicle does not establish that a particular overheight or special-cargo movement may use the tunnel.

Jordan Bridge and Dominion Boulevard

These are separately operated Elizabeth River crossings, with different vehicle definitions and payment rates.

South Norfolk Jordan Bridge, SR 337. The 2026 operator schedule, effective January 1, lists the following charges for three or more axles:

Peak periods are weekdays 5:30–9 a.m. and 2:30–7 p.m. Off-peak rates apply at other weekday times, on weekends, and on the specified holidays. The mail category adds $5.50 to each crossing's E-ZPass rate.

The bridge's truck information identifies it as an official Virginia truck route and lists a 15-foot clearance. Oversize and hazardous-material movements require advance special-permit arrangements. Evaluate the complete approach and onward route when considering it as an alternative to a tunnel.

Dominion Boulevard Veterans Bridge, US 17. The city's schedule for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027 lists:

These classes use vehicle dimensions, not a simple axle-to-class-number match. Class 3 includes a tractor-trailer under the schedule's definition: more than 6 feet 8 inches high and more than 35 feet long, or more than 8.5 feet wide. Read the full definitions for a smaller truck or a vehicle near a threshold.

Payment uses E-ZPass or plate billing. The bridge's payment portal explains that the transponder must be registered and properly mounted, the account funded, and the vehicle's plate correctly listed to obtain the E-ZPass rate. An old shortcut that adds $2 to the tag price does not reproduce the current Class 3 non-E-ZPass charge.

Chesapeake Expressway and Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

The Chesapeake Expressway on Route 168 serves a different corridor from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on US 13. Their seasonal pricing and payment options also differ.

Chesapeake Expressway. The schedule effective May 1, 2026 charges vehicles with three or more axles $5 at regular times or $11 on peak weekends, using cash or E-ZPass. Peak weekends run from Saturday at 12:01 a.m. through Sunday at midnight, beginning the weekend before Memorial Day weekend and ending the weekend after Labor Day weekend.

The operator explicitly says it does not bill by plate. Use an accepted payment method at travel; the far-left express lane requires E-ZPass.

The separately enrolled Chesapeake Expressway Discount Program has lower member rates and enrollment fees. Possessing a Virginia E-ZPass does not itself enroll the vehicle in that program. Establish eligibility before using a member price in a freight quote.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The published heavy-vehicle schedule, effective January 1, 2024, lists these ordinary categories:

Apply the full category description, including the relevant weight conditions. Five- and six-axle categories specify less than 84,000 pounds; special movements have separate tariff, approval, and escort conditions. A toll category does not authorize a truck to exceed its legal operating limits.

The CBBT payment FAQ confirms payment at travel using E-ZPass, cash, or cards. Pay by plate and online toll payment are not offered. Its 24-hour return discounts apply to the specified vehicle categories; they should not be transferred to an ordinary five-axle truck. Check current weather restrictions as well as the rate before departure.

Crossings without a road toll

VDOT's regional crossing guide identifies the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel on I-664 and James River Bridge as toll-free. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel's general-purpose crossing also has no road toll; distinguish it from the separate I-64 Express Lanes discussed below.

Tolls on the George P. Coleman Bridge ended August 8, 2025. VDOT confirms the date in its former toll-plaza demolition announcement. An older calculator or directory may still contain the former charge.

A free crossing can still involve additional miles, congestion, bridge openings, or vehicle restrictions. Compare the cost and feasibility of the whole movement before choosing a detour solely to avoid a toll.

Richmond and Chesterfield tolls

Richmond-area pricing requires attention to both the operator and the toll points actually encountered. The electronic-payment transition on RMTA roads does not describe every toll facility in the region.

Pocahontas Parkway, VA 895. The operator's April 1, 2026 schedule lists:

For the operator-defined single trip, you pay the main-plaza toll or the applicable ramp toll, not both. A five-axle main-plaza movement is therefore $10.50, rather than $10.50 plus $7.95. A different ramp-only journey uses the ramp tariff.

The payment guidance includes E-ZPass, debit/credit cards, and cash. Its FAQ says cash machines at Laburnum and Airport Connector ramps require exact change.

RMTA Powhite Parkway and Downtown Expressway. The Powhite James River table and Downtown mainline table each list a five-axle charge of $1.30 with E-ZPass or $2.60 by plate. The listed Douglasdale, Second Street, and Eleventh Street ramp tables show $1.20 with E-ZPass or $2.40 by plate for five axles. Add the toll points encountered by the selected movement, rather than every row in a regional table.

RMTA introduced electronic collection on February 28, 2026, but its current payment explanation preserves an exception: Downtown Expressway accepts cash from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Outside that period, E-ZPass or plate billing applies. RMTA Powhite Parkway, Boulevard Bridge, and ramps use electronic collection. Full removal of the Downtown Expressway cash option is expected in 2027.

The Virginia-tag discount in RMTA's two-axle pricing should not be assumed to reduce every truck rate. Its posted five-axle E-ZPass figures are the same for Virginia and out-of-state accounts.

Boulevard Bridge. The operator lists restrictions of 11 feet 6 inches in height and 7,500 pounds at all times. This is not a normal container-truck alternative. A low passenger toll does not make it suitable for a tractor-trailer.

VDOT Powhite Parkway Extension. This is separate from RMTA's Powhite Parkway. The VDOT facility page identifies E-ZPass, cash, and exact-change payment options. The Administrative Code's maximum rate structure lists five- and six-axle amounts of $1.50 at the mainline plaza, $0.55 at the mainline east/west and Route 60 ramps, and $0.80 at the Courthouse Road ramp. Check the applicable location and current charged amount; those figures are explicitly a regulatory maximum schedule.

Chesterfield's September 2026 update reports plans to remove the existing 75-cent Powhite toll at Courthouse Road in January 2027. That announcement concerns the VDOT facility. It does not mean the toll has already ended or that RMTA's separate Powhite charges will disappear. Recheck implementation when pricing a 2027 movement.

Northern Virginia toll roads and border crossings

The Dulles corridor has ordinary road tolls, while the region's express lanes have separate access and pricing rules. A truck using I-95 or I-495 should not automatically be assigned the parallel Express Lanes.

Dulles Toll Road. The operator's current rate page points to its 2023 schedule. MWAA's rate announcement provides the electronic-payment table:

If a five-axle journey encounters both the applicable mainline and ramp toll, its electronic subtotal is $15.50. The operator's plate-billing guidance adds $1.60 per toll, making that specified two-point journey $18.70 by plate, before any later fees. Count toll points rather than adding one processing amount to the entire journey.

Dulles Greenway. Use the Greenway calculator with the actual start, end, axle count, and rush-hour selection. During the October 25 check, selecting Leesburg Bypass (Rte 15) → Dulles Airport (Rte 28), 5-Axle returned $15.75 off peak or $17.50 during rush hour.

Changing the end to Mainline Plaza during rush hour produced $17.50 Greenway + $5.00 Dulles Toll Road connection = $22.50. That connection amount is already in the selected result; do not add it again. A subsequent Dulles Toll Road main-plaza charge depends on the onward itinerary.

The calculator identifies rush hours as 6:30–9 a.m. eastbound and 4–6:30 p.m. westbound. A price for that selected five-axle journey is not a universal Greenway truck toll or the full cost of an arbitrary delivery beyond it.

Nice/Middleton Bridge, US 301. A Maryland–Virginia itinerary can include this Maryland-operated crossing. The MDTA bridge schedule collects southbound only. Five axles cost $36 at the E-ZPass/base rate or $51 under Video Tolling; six or more cost $45 or $60. A round trip has one charged direction at this bridge, although other parts of the itinerary may have their own tolls. The base-rate label does not mean cash is accepted at the electronic gantry.

For interstate shipments, calculate charges beyond Virginia as well. The destination state does not define the whole bill. In particular, the West Virginia Turnpike is in a different state and needs its own operator lookup when the selected route uses it.

Check truck classification and express-lane access

Start with the complete vehicle combination. A three-axle tractor pulling a two-axle chassis has five total axles; replacing that chassis with a three-axle chassis changes the combination to six. The container chassis guide explains the equipment behind those counts.

An empty container on the same equipment still has those axles. A bobtail return or an actual chassis change needs a fresh classification. Container length alone does not establish the toll category, and a class number from one operator should not be copied into another operator's table.

Classification also varies within Virginia: CBBT has axle and vehicle-category definitions, Dominion Boulevard uses dimensions, and express lanes impose their own restrictions and larger-vehicle pricing. Payment of a toll does not establish permission to use the road.

The principal express-lane distinctions for freight are:

• I-95, I-395, and I-495 Express Lanes: Vehicles with more than two axles and vehicles towing trailers are prohibited. Some two-axle commercial trucks may use the lanes, with higher prices for larger vehicles. See the operator's permitted-vehicle terms and FAQ.
• I-66 Inside the Beltway: VDOT prohibits large trucks at all times, including outside the weekday tolling periods. Its Inside the Beltway FAQ distinguishes tolling hours from the continuing truck restriction.
• I-66 Outside the Beltway: Multi-axle trucks, including tractor-trailers pulling a single trailer, are permitted. Prices vary with demand and vehicle category; larger vehicles do not qualify for ordinary passenger HOV-3+ free travel. Use VDOT's truck explanation and the linked operator resources. The passenger amount on a sign is not the complete truck price.
• I-64 Hampton Roads Express Lanes: VDOT prohibits commercial trucks, vehicles with more than two axles, and vehicles towing trailers, among other restricted categories. The Hampton Roads Express Lanes FAQ explains access separately from the free general-purpose lanes.

For special loads, use VDOT's truck-restriction resources and the facility's cargo and permit instructions. Cargo weight, total combination weight, axle distribution, dimensions, and clearance are separate checks. The overweight-shipment guide helps distinguish those measurements.

Calculate tolls for the complete shipment

A manual calculation is useful when checking a new lane, comparing a quote, or investigating a later charge. Preserve the assumptions so another person can reproduce the result.

1. Establish every stop. Record the terminal or rail ramp, commercial delivery entrance, authorized empty-return location, and separate chassis pickup or return. Include a later container collection if the service requires one. A delivery ZIP code alone may be insufficient to choose the last crossing or toll-road exit.

2. Confirm the vehicle and permitted itinerary. Use the combination that will actually travel, including any special chassis. Check the loaded and returning configurations and the road restrictions for both.

3. Identify each charged movement. List the facility, direction, and actual entry/exit or toll point for each leg. Distinguish an operator's combined journey price from individual plaza rows. On Pocahontas Parkway, for example, adding the main and ramp tariffs to the same single trip would overstate the cost.

4. Match the date, crossing time, and payment basis. Check the effective schedule and any established discount enrollment. A receiver's appointment time is not the time the truck reaches the toll point. If the crossing time is uncertain, state the time-band assumption used in the estimate.

5. Add the legs and check the freight terms. Keep unresolved amounts visible instead of recording them as zero. Confirm whether tolls are included, separately estimated, or passed through at actual cost, and whether any administration charge is separate. The all-in drayage quote guide explains why the agreed service scope matters alongside the total.

Example with different outbound and return periods

Assume a truck with three or more axles crosses South Norfolk Jordan Bridge once during peak hours and returns off peak, retaining the same toll category. Using its 2026 schedule:

This illustrates the bridge charges only. Other facilities and any separately agreed service fees remain outside the subtotal. Doubling the peak rate would miss the different return period; adding only one mail-processing amount would understate the two mailed crossing charges.

Example with a different return location

Suppose an import quote originally assumes the empty container returns to the pickup terminal. The container owner later directs the return to a depot on another side of the region. That changes the itinerary even though the loaded delivery has already been completed.

Recalculate the return from the receiver to the authorized depot, then include any separate chassis return in the agreed service. Keep the original and revised assumptions so the reason for a toll difference is clear. Do not assume the return cost must equal the loaded leg.

For a simpler arithmetic check, a five-axle truck using Pocahontas Parkway's main plaza once in each direction incurs $10.50 + $10.50 = $21 under the cited schedule. That illustration does not justify adding the ramp tariff or another toll road that the itinerary never uses.

Pay tolls and resolve missed payments

There are three different situations to distinguish: paying correctly at travel, resolving a missed payment before an invoice, and paying or disputing an invoice already issued. The correct process depends on the operator.

E-ZPass and payment at the crossing

Keep the actual vehicle and plate registered, use the correct transponder class, mount it as directed, and maintain sufficient funds and current payment details. The Virginia E-ZPass glossary explains that classification considers axles, tires, gross weight, and potentially trailer length. A tag may be shared between vehicles of the same class; a passenger-car tag is not a substitute for the appropriate truck classification.

A failed read can become a video transaction or invoice. Updating an account after a trip does not by itself prove that an existing operator bill has been settled. Check both the account history and any issued notice.

Without E-ZPass, confirm the facility before traveling. Plate billing is available on some roads, while CBBT requires payment at travel and Chesapeake Expressway says it does not bill by plate. Other facilities have cash or card lanes, and some express facilities require E-ZPass. The state directory's payment overview is a useful starting point, followed by the operator's current instructions.

Find the correct missed-toll service

Use the Virginia missed-toll facility finder if you are unsure which road was used. The state portal FAQ explains that many operators process their own bills and disputes. There is no universal Virginia payment deadline that replaces those instructions.

Examples of different processes include:

• Dulles Toll Road: The operator allows up to six days for proactive missed-toll payment through the linked state service.
• Dulles Greenway: Its own payment page handles missed tolls within ten days of travel and existing invoices.
• Pocahontas Parkway: The operator FAQ says to allow at least 48 hours for an online lookup and pay within ten days before a notice with additional fees is issued.
• Dominion Boulevard: Use the bridge's payment portal for a bridge invoice, even when the vehicle also has an E-ZPass account.
• RMTA roads: Follow the statement instructions and the linked GoRMTA payment service.

If the trip has not appeared online, keep the travel details and contact the operator rather than concluding there is nothing to pay. If an invoice has already been issued, follow that invoice's payment or dispute process and due date.

For an unexpected urgent text or email, independently open the official operator website instead of following its payment link. The Dulles Toll Road scam alert explains how to verify a claimed overdue balance.

Why a toll bill can arrive after delivery

A toll transaction and a completed freight delivery run on different timelines. The operator may need to identify the registered vehicle owner and group transactions into a statement. A fleet or leasing company may receive that statement before the carrier allocates the expense to a particular shipment.

Official examples show the possible lag:

• Dulles Toll Road describes a first plate invoice sent approximately 14 days after the first recorded missed toll in its billing explanation.
• South Norfolk Jordan Bridge says invoices are mailed approximately 30 days after travel to the address where the vehicle is registered. See its tolling guidance.
• RMTA says statements are typically mailed on a 30-day billing cycle after plate information is verified. See its statement guide.

Those are operator processes, not a universal deadline for a carrier's freight invoice. Whether a carrier can pass a toll or related fee to the customer depends on the agreed terms and the movement actually performed.

Before booking, establish whether the toll amount is included in the freight total, whether it is an estimate or an agreed fixed amount, which legs it covers, and how route or equipment changes will be handled. This makes a later discussion about a specific change easier to resolve.

When a charge arrives, check:

1. The transaction: Facility, plate, date, time, direction, and vehicle category.
2. The shipment: Loaded leg, empty return, equipment trip, or another movement entirely.
3. The payment basis: E-ZPass, plate billing, cash/card, and any established discount entitlement.
4. The extra amounts: Separate the road toll from plate processing, fleet or rental administration, late fees, and penalties.
5. The original price and payment records: Determine whether the same expense was already included or paid, then use the operator's dispute instructions if the transaction is wrong.

The accessorial-tracking guide explains how to review a shipment's charge, quantity, reason, and supporting documents together.

Do not leave an operator notice unresolved while investigating the freight allocation. Virginia DMV guidance explains that invoices for two or more unpaid tolls can affect vehicle registration reissuance or renewal. Contact the issuing operator about payment or a dispute within its stated process.

Get the toll estimate in the drayage quote

Tracing every road segment, finding each operator's current truck schedule, and calculating the loaded and empty legs takes time. Portmate calculates estimated tolls automatically for the selected shipment route and shows the amount in the quote's cost breakdown, covering the loaded and empty legs in the quoted itinerary. The route-toll walkthrough shows where to find the Tolls line.

That makes the expected expense visible while you are agreeing the freight price, reducing manual tariff research and the chance of overlooking a crossing until a later bill arrives. Review the terminal, delivery and return locations, equipment, and included services alongside the total. You can request a drayage quote with those details and check the toll estimate before booking.