GLOUCESTER, Va. (WAVY) — The Coleman Bridge charges tolls for just one direction, going from York County to Gloucester County. Rates vary depending on if you have an E-ZPass and the size of your vehicle. The price of $0.85 with an E-ZPass may seem like pocket change if you just take it a few times, but for those who use the Coleman Bridge to commute, that adds up throughout the year.
“The citizens of Gloucester County feel the tolls are an unfair tax,” said Phillip Bazzani, Gloucester County Board of Supervisors Member.
Opening in 1952, the Coleman Bridge charged tolls until the construction debt was paid in the 1970’s. Then Gloucester saw a tremendous growth spurt, cited as the fastest growing county in Virginia for several years. Many believe removing tolls was the spark.
“I believe it’s the number one factor,” Bazzani told 10 On Your Side. “Now, some people may disagree, but I think tolls were the prohibitive factor for people coming into Gloucester.”
It grew so much, they had to widen the bridge in the 1990’s. This brought back the toll.
County Administrator Carol Steele said there are still about nine years left of debt but the toll plaza has to be replaced due to its age. She said that expense seems wasteful.
“It wasn’t a mathematical thing that made sense and so I wasn’t surprised when the Governor’s budget came out and it did include (removing tolls),” Steele said.
They think this could cause another wave of growth for Gloucester. County leaders are working on a plan to address where development will happen and prepare for more commercial vehicles.
“It’s not a lot for (commuters), it’s much more of an impact on businesses and trucks that pay more and if they had trucking,” Steele said. “So we may see an increase there and I don’t think people are even thinking about that part.”
She calls Route 17 the Achilles heel.
“That’s the problem,” Steele added. “Every single person who moves to Gloucester, every single business that comes into Gloucester is on Route 17 at one point or another.”
County leaders are preparing for more housing developments, which means thinking about zoning rules for places that will likely see more housing. They are in talks with the Department of Transportation on widening Route 17 in ways that balance out the rural feel of Gloucester.
Plans are also being worked on with regard to realigning the roads after the toll plaza gets removed.
The line item in the budget to remove tolls from the bridge state they should stop no later than Jan. 1, 2026, though tolls will likely end sooner when the toll plaza comes down.
