2026 brings a 26 cent toll increase on 36 miles of turnpike freeway
RTA members and partners,
This week’s blog is about the importance and value of 540.
The regional business community clearly knows the importance of our region’s newest multimodal freeway, the Triangle Expressway in western and southern Wake County, also known as toll 540/885.
The first segment of toll 885 opened back in 2011; the most recently completed segment, the 540 Southern Wake Freeway (also known as “Complete 540 – Phase 1”), opened about 15 months ago.
The final segment of the Raleigh outer loop, the 540 Eastern Wake Freeway (also known as “Complete 540 – Phase 2”), is currently under construction. It will open in 2028, and it will result in a 70 mile long beltway for the capital area.
Of course, it costs money to build, finance, operate, and maintain major freeway infrastructure, and 540 is no exception. To responsibly do this, the Turnpike Authority has incorporated annual measured and predictable toll rate increases into its schedule for all NC Turnpike Authority roadways in North Carolina. Earlier this month, on January 1, 2026, tolls increased for travel along the entire 36 mile length of turnpike freeway (i.e., from I-40 in Durham County to I-40 at the Wake/Johnston County line) by 26 cents.
The increase is approximately 3%, which is essentially what overall inflation has been during the past year.
Specific rate increases, from the December 30, 2025 NCDOT news release, were:
- A 12 cent increase, from $4.05 to $4.17, for travel along the entirety of toll 885 and toll 540 / Western Wake from, from I-40 in Durham County/RTP to NC 55 in southern Apex near Holly Springs
- A 14 cent increase, from $4.19 to $4.33, for travel along the entirety of toll 540 / Southern Wake freeway, from NC 55 in southern Apex near Holly Springs to I-40/I-42 near Garner.
- As noted above, this works out to an increase of 26 cents to travel 36 miles of turnpike freeway, or a total of $8.50.
Of course, each customer has to make the decision, on a trip-by-trip basis, as to whether the financial toll you pay to use the roadway is less than the value you receive for travel along the freeway. Even with the toll increases that took affect on January 1, it is still less than 25 cents per mile to travel along the 540 system, which is a very reasonable price for guaranteed, fast travel time on a 70 MPH freeway that would not otherwise exist at all without tolls to accelerate this roadway.
Kudos to the Turnpike Authority staff and board for their leadership in quickly delivering vital mobility infrastructure for our market.
See below for additional information from the Turnpike Authority on how to save money on tolls.
Let’s get moving,
Joe
Additional information about potential toll savings for current or new NC QuickPass customers:
- Sign up for a NC Quick Pass account to save 50% on tolls in North Carolina and pay tolls in 19 states.
- Sign up for a NC Only Account to save 50% on tolls in North Carolina without a transponder; this option is only available for toll travel in North Carolina.
- Purchase a Transponder on the Go for $3 from Harris Teeter, Amazon or select 7-Eleven, Speedway and License Plate Agency locations.
- Calculate your toll for the Triangle Expressway system using the toll calculator.
