Free tunnel trips for lower-income Norfolk and Portsmouth drivers

The Downtown and Midtown tunnels under the Elizabeth River are the main links between Norfolk and Portsmouth, and both are tolled. Since December 18, 2024, Norfolk and Portsmouth residents who earn less than $50,000 a year get the full toll refunded on up to 14 trips a week in a two-axle vehicle. Half of each refund comes from a long-running program paid for by Elizabeth River Crossings, the private company that runs the tunnels; the state now pays the other half from its general fund.

You have to sign up in person at an E-ZPass customer service center, show proof of income and where you live, and re-enroll every year. If you don’t have an E-ZPass, the state provides a transponder with $20 already on it. Refunds usually show up in your account the next business day. Drivers anywhere in Hampton Roads who earn $65,000 or less can still get half off.

The budget also paid off old debts. VDOT negotiated a $36.2 million payment to clear unpaid tunnel tolls and fees from before 2024 for people living in Norfolk or Portsmouth at the time, and lifted vehicle registration holds tied to those debts.

State Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth made the relief her top priority and championed the $101 million package. House Speaker Don Scott also helped secure the initiative, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the budget in May 2024. Residents of Hampton, Newport News and Franklin were first included, but Youngkin’s 2025 budget amendments limited the extra benefit to Norfolk and Portsmouth.