It will soon cost a lot more to drive between Henderson and Evansville

EVANSVILLE — Starting in 2032, it will cost a lot more to go to Henderson from Evansville, and vice versa.

The Ohio River Crossing Tolling Body met for its first meeting Tuesday afternoon in Henderson, Kentucky, where initial toll rates were approved in Resolution ORX-TB-2026-2.

Presented by Amanda Spencer, with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the resolution outlined the initial toll rates, which start at $3.14 for the ORX bridge.

The new I-69 bridge is Section 2 of the overall I-69 ORX project. It will connect Kentucky and Indiana at Henderson and Evansville. Ultimately, it is intended to extend from Mexico to Canada, making it a primary north-south artery for the transportation of goods and services in the United States.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027 and wrap up in 2031.

The resolution includes toll rates for drivers who opt into a prepaid account with a transponder; a prepaid account with no transponder; and those who choose neither and want to pay via a monthly bill in the mail.

For passenger vehicles such as motorcycles, cars and pickup trucks, a driver with a prepaid account and transponder would shell out $3.14 in tolls each way.

For a driver with an account, but no transponder, it will cost $4.70 each way. And for a person who wants to simply be sent a bill in the mail, it will cost $6.25 each way.

All told, the tolls could add a steep fee for drivers, especially those who commute between Henderson and Evansville every day.

Drivers boasting transponders and pre-paid accounts would pay the lowest amount. But even those residents would shell out $6.28 everyday for a round-trip commute. Assuming they work a five days a week, that ballons to $31.40 per week, and more than $125 per month.

Stretched over the 52 weeks in each year, that comes to $1,632 in extra, annual costs. For those without transponders or prepaid accounts, it would stretch to $3,250 a year.

For medium vehicles, which means all 3-axle and 4-axles vehicles such as trucks hauling a camper, busses and regular semis, the cost starts at $7.79, then moves to $9.33 and $10.86, under the same rules.

Vehicles that are 5-axle or more, such as large semis, will start at $15.49, then move to $17.02 and close out at $18.62.

If the monthly bills aren't paid, officials will tack on fees. The second bill unpaid will result in a $5 administrative fee, while a third unpaid would result in a $25 violation fee. A fourth, meanwhile, will have an additional $30 collection fee.

On July 1 of each year, rates will increase to keep pace with inflation, or by 2.5%, whichever is higher, according to Spencer.