What will be the penalty for not paying future Tennessee tolls?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- One day, you may be able to choose to pay to drive around traffic on our area interstates.

However, as those projects are in their early stages, the state of Tennessee is already discussing how to punish those who don’t pay the tolls.

While not a part of the ongoing construction  on I-24, choice toll lanes are expected to be in every Tennessee urban area within the next 20 years.

A state board has approved what those penalties for violating those toll lanes will look like, and the penalties might be pretty harsh.

Assistant engineer for TDOT Bryan Ledford said, “The criteria for a user considered being a habitual violator would eventually lead potentially to a registration hold.”

The approved penalties escalate based on the amount of times a registered owner has not paid the tolls.

Ledford explained how the billing process will work.

“It is possible to say someone that someone uses the lanes today… Something just less than a month from now, a bill would be generated, that would be invoice number one,” he said.

 If an owner ignores the initial toll fee notice, they will later receive another notice with a $2.50 late fee.

If they continue to ignore these notices, eventually a letter from the state collections office which would result in a $25 fine per notice.

Eventually, the hammer could come down on those who incur three or more violations worth over $100 in fines.

Ledford said, “The state legislators saw that it is no small thing to have your registration put on hold and they wanted to make sure that followed a process that was meaningful.”

Officials say it is not purely a Tennessee creation.

Ledford said, “I can tell you that this is very consistent with peer states and other facilities.”

There is no set date on when choice lanes are coming to the Chattanooga area.