'High' Bridge Tolls

[ghYHZ]

It's $42.50 (car) to cross the 13 km Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The toll is only collected one-way when leaving PEI.

http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/index.php

The tolls are based on the fare that was charged for using the ferries the bridge replaced in 1997 + an annual increase since then. (You've got to pay for a billion dollar bridge some way!)

The rates seam high but if the ferries were still operating it would probably be a lot higher if you include fuel surcharges the other ferry route in eastern PEI has seen since 1997.

And you can now cross on Your schedule......no more leaving the beach early on a hot summer Sunday afternoon just to sit in a ferry line-up, inching your way forward so you can get home to Moncton or Halifax that evening.....and those line-up could be long in a hot car! Or sometimes in winter: waiting for ice and wind conditions to improve so the ferry could get across.

[Scott5114]

Is there any sort of discount for people who live on PEI, or do they just have to deal with paying $42 every time they want to leave the island?

[oscar]

Is there any sort of discount for people who live on PEI, or do they just have to deal with paying $42 every time they want to leave the island?

No discounts.  http://www.confederationbridge.com/en/faq.php  You can purchase gift cards for bridge crossings, but the cost is the same, or slightly higher (if purchased online), than the regular bridge toll.

Not that there's really anything right at the NB end of the bridge to give PEI residents a reason to make frequent bridge crossings, nor many residents right at the NB end who might otherwise want to commute to PEI.

[NE2]

Given the thread title, I was expecting a toll of $4.20.

[oscar]

ghYHZ, where did you take the photo of the bridge cross-section (photo #3 of 4)?

Also (maybe related), is there still a go-kart track at the PEI end of the bridge, south of the bridge approach, where the ferry terminal used to be?

I drove the bridge round-trip in 2003, and took the ferry the bridge replaced (as well as the one still running from the other end of PEI) in 1989.

[ghYHZ]

Is there any sort of discount for people who live on PEI, or do they just have to deal with paying $42 every time they want to leave the island?

No discount......if the ferries were still operating, it would probably cost the residents a lot more to leave the island today. Just a lot more convenient now and like I said you have to pay for a billion dollar bridge somehow!

ghYHZ, where did you take the photo of the bridge cross-section (photo #3 of 4)?

Also (maybe related), is there still a go-kart track at the PEI end of the bridge, south of the bridge approach, where the ferry terminal used to be?

The Bridge Section is a display at the Visitor Welcome Centre at the PEI end........Can't recall if the go-kart track is still there or not.

[ghYHZ]

Not that there's really anything right at the NB end of the bridge to give PEI residents a reason to make frequent bridge crossings, nor many residents right at the NB end who might otherwise want to commute to PEI.

No, but it's only an hour to Moncton now and a little over 2 hours to Halifax. And the PEI beaches in summer are a popular destination. 

[froggie]

I don't recall seeing the go-kart track when I was there in mid-2009.

[english si]

It's $42.50 (car) to cross the 13 km Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The toll is only collected one-way when leaving PEI.

Are those Canadian dollars? or US? Still that's a lot of money.

The Øresund Bridge (actually a bridge-tunnel) between Denmark and Sweden has a toll for cars of €39 (so $51.50 US) for an undiscounted one-way journey - it's just under 5 miles . People commute across it and back daily so the discounts and return rate must make it more reasonable.

The Great Belt Bridge, on the same road (E20) linking the island Copenhagen is on with the rest of Denmark is €35 for the 12km crossing.

The Skye bridge was over £5 (at that time $9 IIRC) for the one mile bridge, because the ferry it replaced was fairly expensive and the 2-lane bridge was expensive and not heavily trafficked. The campaign to make it free ended up with Scotland becoming toll-free (Forth, Tay and Erskine bridge tolls, which were £1 one-way, I don't know but not much and 80p each-way respectively were the only other ones), unless you get on a ferry, which are rather pricey.

[ghYHZ]

It's $42.50 (car) to cross the 13 km Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The toll is only collected one-way when leaving PEI.

Are those Canadian dollars? or US? Still that's a lot of money.

Canadian dollars......but the dollars are nearly at par now......so no difference.

[SteveG1988]

I think the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel is up there, 12 USD to drive 28KM (17.6 mi) on a 1960s structure. awesome drive.

[Alps]

I think the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel is up there, 12 USD to drive 28KM (17.6 mi) on a 1960s structure. awesome drive.

First of all, depending on direction you're on a much newer structure than that, and second of all, compare the gas and mileage cost of going around the long way and suddenly $12 is quite cheap.  The $40 Confederation Bridge is also cheap compared to the $65 ferry out of PEI.

[froggie]

First of all, depending on direction you're on a much newer structure than that,

Doesn't matter when it comes to the tunnels...they're still the 1964 structures.

and second of all, compare the gas and mileage cost of going around the long way and suddenly $12 is quite cheap.

Not so much with the gas cost as it is with the mileage and time savings.  While I was living in Virginia Beach, taking the CBBT and going up the Delmarva vice taking I-64 and I-95 saved, on average, 45 minutes and 80 miles.

[Alps]

First of all, depending on direction you're on a much newer structure than that,

Doesn't matter when it comes to the tunnels...they're still the 1964 structures.

"on" structure = bridge.  I grant that a tunnel is a structure, but you'd generally say "in."  Also, tunnels tend to last longer than bridges, especially without structural maintenance (given that you can't get to the outside of a tunnel).

and second of all, compare the gas and mileage cost of going around the long way and suddenly $12 is quite cheap.

Not so much with the gas cost as it is with the mileage and time savings.  While I was living in Virginia Beach, taking the CBBT and going up the Delmarva vice taking I-64 and I-95 saved, on average, 45 minutes and 80 miles.

80 miles, 20 miles per gallon is $12.  26.66666 miles per gallon is $9.  It's something.

[froggie]

Agree it's something, but I say that because, being as close to the CBBT as I was, I was pretty much at the high end of the mileage savings.  Most other people would see their mileage savings be a good bit lower.

[Chris]

Denmark has some awfully expensive bridges;

Oresund Bridge: $ 52 one way
Great Belt Bridge: $ 42 one way

There are discounts available for regular commuters, but a back and forth trip from Germany to Sweden using the Danish bridges will cost you $ 188. The alternative are ferries, which are a slightly shorter distance, comparable travel time and cost.

[ShawnP]

High bridge tolls...........sounds like the Louisville bridges. Grrrrrrrrrr fools now want to toll all existing bridges. I first supported the bridges but pushing all bridges tolling has moved me to going against the new Louisville bridges.

[SteveG1988]

Speaking of "High" Bridge Tolls, the Betsy Ross Bridge charges Four Dollars for a high level crossing, the "Low" bridge is Two Dollars, both are tolled WB into PA. I wonder what one gets more WB traffic.

[Charto911]

wow Denmark can be an expensive place to travel over bridges but staying on topic I do believe the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel in Virginia is the most expensive single toll in the United States. Can anybody here prove otherwise?

[froggie]

I don't recall seeing the go-kart track when I was there in mid-2009.

I double-checked my photos and it's still there...

[rte66man]

To reverse that, is it still just $3 to cross Lake Pontchatrain?  At 26 miles (appx 11.5 cents per mile), that is a very cheap bridge.

[Alps]

To reverse that, is it still just $3 to cross Lake Pontchatrain?  At 26 miles (appx 11.5 cents per mile), that is a very cheap bridge.

Keep in mind that's round trip - the other direction is free.

[aridawn]

The bridges crossing up the Seaway valley are pretty cheap with starting with the most expensive

Rates posted are for single trip with car and light truck:

St Lawrence International Bridge Crossing(Three Nations Crossing)     $3.25 Can/US  ON-138/ NY-37

Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority    $2.75 Can/US ON-16/NY-812

Thousand Islands Bridge Authority   $2.50 Can/US ON-137/I-81


The Three Nations Crossing rates may go up with the Proposed North Channel Bridge reconstruction.

Other bridge/Border Crossings:

Ambassador Bridge Authority  $4.75 Can $4.00 US  ON-3/I-75/96

Peace Bridge Authority  $3.00 Can/US E-Pass $2.70 Can/US ON-QEW/ I-190

Blue Water Bridge Authority  $3.00 Can/US ON-402/I-69/94

Matty Moroun's bridge is the most expensive for Canadians, and that I don't think will change even if he gets to build his new toy, um I mean bridge. 

[cu2010]

To be fair, most of those crossings of the St. Lawrence connect nowhere to nowhere!

(Okay, so Cornwall isn't exactly "nowhere", especially it's relative closeness to Montreal...but everything south of the river is nowhere!)

[Dr Frankenstein]

Malone has a few car dealers, a ski area, a KFC and a McDonald's.
... okay, it's still nowhere.