CORRECTION: Hampton, Newport News and Franklin are no longer included cities in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Toll Relief Program after being amended out of the state’s budget by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — More than $36 million in toll debt will be forgiven as part of the state’s larger toll relief plan for the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels.
Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), and State Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) made the announcement Wednesday that outstanding toll violations and related fees incurred between 2014 and December 31, 2023 will be forgiven for drivers who live in Portsmouth and Norfolk.
The tunnels which connect the two cities see an estimated combined 102,000 vehicle trips per day and legislators said an estimated 25,000 drivers will benefit.
The payout was agreed upon after negotiations between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) as spelled out in the 2024-2026 budget.
ERC has already started notifying residents who will receive this debt relief according to Scott. Any DMV registration holds tied to unpaid tolls during that same time period will be removed.
“Toll relief, fee relief – real relief,” Scott said. “For years, working families have been trapped in a cycle of debt from toll violations and compounding fees. That ends today. We’re cutting costs, from tuition to tolls, and putting money back in people’s pockets. This is what real relief looks like.”
While the initial plan approved in the two-year state budget dictated that the toll forgiveness would be only for those making less than $50,000 a year, a VDOT spokesperson confirms through a budget amendment those perimeters were changed.
“All debt from those two localities, Norfolk and Portsmouth, was considered based on the time of travel and the DMV registration information at the time,” Brittany McBride Nichols, with VDOT said.
When asked during a Wednesday morning news conference if Hampton, Newport News and Franklin residents were included, they confirmed they were, but WAVY later learned that is not the case. McBride Nichols says those cities were stripped from the state funded relief program in May 2025.
Still, Lucas said she hopes to fight to include more Hampton Roads localities in the future.
“There’s not going to be any stopping on my part for sure and I’m sure that’s also the case for Mr. Speaker,” Lucas said. “The people of this region elected us to deliver relief to them in times like these. And that’s exactly what we intend to do. Yes, this will be an ongoing fight because those titles are exorbitant.”
Since 2014, ERC, a privately-owned company, has set tolls on both the Downtown and Midtown tunnels in Portsmouth in order to pay for the addition of a new Midtown Tunnel tube and construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Expressway.
ERC’s contract with the state gives them the ability to access tolls until 2070, with the ability to raise the rates each year.
A study from an Old Dominion University economist in 2018 found Portsmouth “is being hurt proportionately more than any other city.”
While Lucas has continued to maintain she wants to one day eliminate the tolls entirely, the cost to buy down the tolls is currently estimated to cost $2 billion.
“You all need to be reminded that when this was put in place, it was as a result of a P3 project that was initiated by then Governor Bob McDonnell, the members of the General Assembly and no one in the House, nor anyone in the Senate had an opportunity to weigh in on this,” Lucas said.
The toll forgiveness is an addition to the toll discounts currently in place.
ERC provides between $3.3 million to $3.5 million annually to pay for the toll relief that provides for 50% off tolls up to 14 trips per week, for those living in Hampton Roads (residents of Chesapeake, Gloucester County, Hampton, Isle of Wight County, James City County, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, York County, Franklin, Surry County or Southampton County) making $65,000 or less. In addition, residents in Norfolk and Portsmouth earning less than $50,000 are eligible for a 100% discount for up to 14 free trips per week.
The relief was initially specifically set aside for cities in Hampton Roads with “high fiscal stress.”
As of June 30, 2025, the Elizabeth River Tunnels Toll Relief Program has 20,325 people enrolled, according to VDOT.
More information on VDOT’s Toll Relief Program for the Elizabeth River Tunnels can be found on the VDOT website at: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/travel-traffic/commuters/toll-roads/