Turnpike travel gets more expensive Thursday as a rate increase begins.
The toll hike, designed to bring in $21 million in new revenue to help pay off debt for road and bridge maintenance, will begin just after midnight Nov. 1.
Cash tolls will increase at the York, New Gloucester and West Gardiner plazas.
Drivers will pay $3 instead of $2 at the York barrier and those traveling through New Gloucester will pay $2.25 cash instead of $1.75. Cash tolls at the West Gardiner barrier will increase from $1.25 to $1.75.
Tolls for motorists traveling north from Exit 19 in Wells and south from Exit 63 in Gray will increase from $1 to $1.50. Travelers paying cash at all other side tolls and entering the turnpike from I-295 in Gardiner will not be affected.
According to the new schedule, the trip between York and Augusta will increase from $5 to $7. Cash tolls for standard commercial trucks will increase from $20 to $28 along that route.
Tolls for E-ZPass customers will increase as well, but not as drastically. E-ZPass tolls will go up an average increase of 1 cent per mile.
Frequent turnpike travelers will be eligible for greater discounts. People who make 30 one-way trips per month can get a 25 percent discount on their E-ZPasses. Those who make 40 one-way trips per month can get a 50 percent discount.
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