Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Some tunnel drivers have a chance to cash in for paying their bills

The Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth. For those without an E-ZPass, Elizabeth River Tunnels scans drivers' license plates and bills them (WYDaily/Courtesy of SKANSKA)
The Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth. For those without an E-ZPass, Elizabeth River Tunnels scans drivers’ license plates and bills them (WYDaily/Courtesy of SKANSKA)

For those who may have fallen behind on their tunnel toll bills, DriveERT has a one-day offer to capitalize on settling those bills.

On Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the DriveERT Customer Care Center, any pay-by-plate customer who pays their DriveERT account balance in person will receive an EZPass transponder loaded with $35 in prepaid tolls, while supplies last, according to a news release from Norfolk.

Officials emphasized this is a one-day offer, valid only for pay-by-plate customers with an outstanding DriveERT account balance.

Most existing E-ZPass holders are not eligible to receive a free E-ZPass, according to the news release. However, E-ZPass holders who received a pay-by-plate statement as a result of having a negative E-ZPass account balance are eligible to receive an E-ZPass reload card with $10.

Pay-by-plate is an alternate way for motorists without an E-ZPass to pay for tolls at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels between Portsmouth and Norfolk, according to the news release. Motorists are identified through license-plate recognition, which is captured on the toll gantries above the roadway. Pay-by-plate statements are mailed every 30 days, or when a customer’s pay-by-plate account reaches $20 owed, whichever comes first.

Officials said if you received a DriveERT pay-by-plate statement in the mail, your vehicle traveled through one or more of the electronic toll gantries located on the Portsmouth side of the Midtown Tunnel and the Downtown Tunnel.

To learn more about DriveERT pay-by-plate accounts, call ERT’s customer care line at 855-ERTROAD. To learn more about this promotion, email [email protected].

Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing
Sarah Fearing is the Assistant Editor at WYDaily. Sarah was born in the state of Maine, grew up along the coast, and attended college at the University of Maine at Orono. Sarah left Maine in October 2015 when she was offered a job at a newspaper in West Point, Va. Courts, crime, public safety and civil rights are among Sarah’s favorite topics to cover. She currently covers those topics in Williamsburg, James City County and York County. Sarah has been recognized by other news organizations, state agencies and civic groups for her coverage of a failing fire-rescue system, an aging agriculture industry and lack of oversight in horse rescue groups. In her free time, Sarah enjoys lazing around with her two cats, Salazar and Ruth, drinking copious amounts of coffee and driving places in her white truck.

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