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A new toll increase could come sooner than anticipated for Dulles Toll Road drivers as revenue and traffic continue to fall short of projections.
Revenue declined 2.3% from the previous year to $198.4 million in 2025, according to figures presented to a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board committee. Although annual traffic increased from 70.9 million vehicles in 2024 to 72.3 million in 2025, usage remained 4% below the forecast, with the largest shortfalls occurring during the final three months of the year.
“It’s not getting better,” said Kate Hanley, a former Fairfax County board chair who represents Virginia on the MWAA board, during the finance committee’s May 19 meeting.
Hanley said she encountered virtually no traffic while taking the toll road from her home to the meeting in Arlington.
MWAA last raised tolls in January 2023. At the time, officials expected—but did not guarantee—that another increase would not be necessary for five years.
Board member Taylor Chess, another Virginia representative, said the authority should consider moving that timetable forward because of the weak revenue figures.
Andrew Rountree, MWAA’s vice president for finance, said a consultant is examining the timing of any future toll increase. The resulting report is expected later this year.
Rountree emphasized that the 14-mile road faces no immediate threat to its financial stability because it has substantial reserves available if needed.
The consultant’s review will extend beyond toll rates to consider recent changes in regional transportation. One factor is the widening of Route 7 between Reston and Tysons, completed in 2024. The expanded free route has attracted some drivers commuting to and from Loudoun County who might otherwise use the toll road.
Despite the revenue concerns, the road generated $152.4 million in net operating income during 2025, a 1% increase from the prior year. Operating expenses fell 11.1% to $31.1 million, largely because the Virginia Department of Transportation charged MWAA lower transaction fees for managing E-ZPass.
Revenue from toll violations climbed 8% to $8.4 million, while investment income increased to more than $34 million.
Those figures do not reflect the entire financial picture. Some excess operating revenue is used to make principal and interest payments on road bonds, substantially reducing the yearly surplus.
MWAA operates the toll road through a fund that is entirely separate from its airport operations, Rountree said. Money from the two systems is not combined.
During the first four months of 2026, the road produced $64.6 million in total revenue. That was 0.1% higher than during the same period in 2025 but 0.5% below budget. Traffic reached 23.3 million vehicles, an increase of 2.8% from a year earlier and 2% above projections.
For most passenger vehicles, the main-plaza toll is currently $4 with E-ZPass and $5.60 through pay-by-plate. Ramp tolls are $2 for E-ZPass users and $3.60 for pay-by-plate drivers.
Most travelers use E-ZPass. MWAA eliminated cash payments and staffed tollbooths in 2023.