BALTIMORE (WMAR) — Wednesday is the last day to pay outstanding video tolls without being hit with a $25 penalty.
During the pandemic the Maryland Transportation Authority paused processing toll transactions for several months. That created a massive backlog so they gave drivers a nine month grace period to catch up on paying off tolls without fines.
As of November 27, $137 million in civil penalties have been waived for 750,000 drivers and businesses.
For customers who still have outstanding tolls after midnight, they could face a $25 dollar penalty per toll. For example, the $6 toll for the Fort McHenry Tunnel will turn into $31.
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Delinquent accounts will also again be sent to collections, and the MVA will resume vehicle suspensions for toll violators.
MDTA is working on implementing payment plans but they won’t be ready by tomorrow. However, drivers can cut costs by 33 percent by signing up for an E-ZPass or pay-by-plate account.
“Come in and see us. We’ll work with you. We’ll try to come up with a way to relieve the debt and to manage that with the customer,” said MDTA executive director Will Pines.
Pines said they transitioned to cashless toll collection to alleviate congestion and keep drivers at highway speeds. Toll collectors were transitioned to other jobs within the agency.
The easiest way to check if you have outstanding tolls is by going to the MDTA website — type in your license plate and zip code and it’ll let you know if there are any unpaid tolls or pending civil penalties.
