- Blue Water Bridge US Toll Hike Takes Effect Sunday
- AAA Forecasts Heavy Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic
- USDOT Releases Online Climate Action Strategy Resource
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Blue Water Bridge US Toll Hike Takes Effect Sunday
Michigan DOT announced yesterday that a Blue Water Bridge eastbound span toll increase — the first in 14 years — will take effect this Sunday, December 1. MDOT consulted the public earlier this month about two options for implementing an increase needed to help offset increased maintenance and operations costs and finance plaza improvements. “Following an overwhelming response from a public survey,” it was decided to implement a $1.00 increase this year and a similar increase on December 1, 2025.
A revised rate chart is included in the MDOT announcement. Currently, two-axle passenger cars are charged US$3.00 per crossing plus $3.00 for each additional axle. Trucks and buses pay $3.25 per axle. A 50-cent discount is available for EDGE Pass holders.
The bridge’s eastbound span connects Port Huron, Michigan, with Point Edward, Ontario. MDOT operates the bridge jointly with Canada’s Federal Bridge Corporation.
Canada Michigan Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Ontario Public Outreach And Communication Toll Rate ChangesAAA Forecasts Heavy Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic
“This year’s projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019,” according to a news release from AAA. For the first time, the organization’s forecast includes both today, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the Monday after. A breakdown by travel mode predicts 71.7 million people will journey 50 miles or more by car for the holiday, an increase of 1.3 million over last year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The AAA news release includes discussion of fuel prices, best and worst times to travel, and projected peak congestion by metro area.
USA Today offers a holiday period weather forecast by region, noting, among other things, that “messy” weather is predicted for the Great Lakes region and into the Northeast.
Information about holiday traffic in specific states and regions is available from these sources:
- WGAL (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission preparations)
- WVNews (West Virginia Turnpike volume projections)
- Los Angeles Times (California highway travel projections)
- Illinois Tollway Authority (expected volume is 8.9 million vehicles)
- News Service of Florida (via Orlando Weekly) (Orlando, a top holiday destination, expects record traffic)
- WGME (recording-setting travel expected in Maine)
USDOT Releases Online Climate Action Strategy Resource
USDOT announced the release of an online playbook for state, local, and tribal governments on research-based climate action strategies. Entitled “Climate Strategies That Work”, the resource describes 28 solutions “that can help communities reduce carbon pollution and create a more resilient, sustainable, and accessible transportation system for all Americans.” Road Pricing and ITS are two of the solutions.
According to USDOT, the strategies emphasize “efficient, convenient, and clean” measures that support “safe and economically vibrant communities,” both urban and rural. They span infrastructure investments, technology applications, and policymaking. The playbook draws on the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization released in 2023, and it includes implementation funding information and illustrative case studies. USDOT noted that the playbook can also inform philanthropic and private industry efforts to address climate change.
Dr. Gretchen Goldman, USDOT’s Climate Change Research and Technology Program Director, called the playbook “a critical resource for climate champions making strategic and evidence-based decisions about how to meet their climate and economic development goals while providing mobility choices. [It] makes up-to-date and best-in-class research on decarbonizing transportation available to transportation planners, decisionmakers, and state and local leaders nationwide.”
Additional information can be found on the USDOT Climate Change Center website.
Alternative and Active Transportation Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And Initiatives Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Intelligent Transportation Systems US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation FundingThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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