Ohio River bridge tolls show increase in crossings

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Numbers from the first quarter of the Ohio River Bridges Project show nearly 7 million motorists crossed the three tolled bridges over the Ohio River at Louisville between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The RiverLink report released Monday says the average weekday crossings on all three bridges in March totaled 89,000, a 12 percent increase since January. RiverLink spokesperson Mindy Peterson says they expect crossings to grow as people adjust to the new routes and tolling.

RiverLink says $8.6 million was collected in tolls during the first quarter of the year, split evenly between Indiana and Kentucky. Another $6.8 million is expected to be collected from E-ZPass transponders used in about 15 other states.

The tolls were first levied in December. Toll rates range from $2 to $12 depending on the size of the vehicle. Drivers with transponders pay the lowest tolls.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.