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Pa. Turnpike Brass: Big Toll Increases Not a Given

Pennsylvania Turnpike officials dispute a prediction by financial analysts that sharp toll increases will be needed if the Turnpike is going to meet its obligations to generate funds for roads, bridges and mass transit.

KYW's Tony Romeo reports that when a new transportation funding law was enacted in 2007, turnpike officials said they expected a big toll increase would be followed by more modest three-percent annual toll hikes.

But while the toll hike that will take effect in January will be three-percent for E-Z Pass users, it will be 10-percent for those paying cash. After a hearing last week, turnpike CEO Joseph Brimmeier said he's hopeful the 2012 toll hike will be closer to three-percent for both E-Z Pass and cash customers:

"Traffic is increasing. As traffic increases, obviously, our revenue increases."

And he claims analysts who foresee bigger toll hikes made their predictions before the turnpike made other money-making moves, such as hiking E-Z Pass transponder service fees. Meanwhile, lawmakers are aiming to retool the transportation funding law.

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