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Ohio Turnpike outlines $463.8M 2025 budget, $319M capital plan and new toll collection results
Summary
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission briefed the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 26 about its 2025 operating and capital budgets, toll revenues, new toll collection technology, service‑plaza amenities and collection efforts for unpaid tolls.
Chris Matta, chief engineer and deputy executive director of the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, presented the commission’s 2025 operating and capital budgets to the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 26 and described recent operational changes and collection results.
Matta said the turnpike’s 2025 revenue budget is approximately $463.8 million. The commission does not receive federal gas tax or General Revenue Fund appropriations; about 90% of revenue derives from tolls. Matta said the commission receives 5¢ per gallon from fuel sales at turnpike service plazas and that amounted to roughly $3.1 million in 2024.
Capital and debt: The commission approved a $319 million capital budget for 2025 focused on pavements, bridges and safety. Matta said the commission plans to invest more than $2 billion in capital improvements over the next 10 years and that debt service and operating priorities are governed by senior and junior lien master trust agreements.
Tolls and collection changes: The turnpike launched a new toll collection system on April 10, 2024, enabling EZPass customers to travel from Indiana to Pennsylvania without stopping at a toll gate. Matta said EZPass users receive roughly a 33% savings compared with cash payments. He also reported that when collections resumed after an initial adjustment period the commission sent about 60,000 invoices to collections and issued roughly 3,600 holds to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for customers who did not pay unpaid toll invoices.
Service plazas and EV charging: The turnpike operates 14 service plazas that generated significant local economic activity; eight of the plazas already offer electric vehicle charging and the commission aims to have EV chargers at all 14 plazas through public‑private partnerships.
Pavement materials and maintenance: In response to a committee question, Matta said the commission’s geotechnical analysis and life‑cycle cost modeling have generally supported using asphalt for certain lane projects; asphalt repairs can be faster to perform in active traffic lanes, reducing closure time compared with concrete repairs. He said previous bidding showed asphalt alternatives were financially favorable in many projects.
Next steps: Matta asked the committee to note the commission’s fiscal position, confirmed capital commitments for 2025, and said staff would engage further on pavement lifecycle comparisons at the chair’s request.
