This rendering shows the potential future use of color-change LED lighting to be installed as part of the ongoing Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project. (File Photo)

PARKERSBURG — The initial toll rates for the Memorial Bridge have been released by Parkersburg Bridge Partners.

The base rate will be $1 for a single trip across for passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, SUVs and motorcycles for vehicles equipped with a transponder, according to a statement from the company, which completed its acquisition of the bridge from the City of Parkersburg earlier this year.

The minimum for vehicles without a transponder will be $4.50 because those will be billed by mail after a vehicle’s license plate is scanned, resulting in administrative fees, the statement said.

“Customers will receive the lowest toll rates by registering for and funding a transponder account,” the statement said. “There is no cost for the transponder. User accounts will be debited when vehicles with a valid and funded transponder cross the bridge.”

A $30-a-month option for unlimited crossings with a transponder will also be offered, the statement said. Additional information about registering for a transponder account and obtaining a transponder will be provided at a later date, it said.

Parkersburg Bridge Partners Account Manager Jonathan Wallace, left, discussed the new Memorial Bridge tolling system with Parkersburg resident Robert Nicolai during a community open house about the bridge in November at the Wood County Society in downtown Parkersburg. (File Photo)

Tolls were 50 cents prior to the closure of the bridge in August after the company said motorists were not following traffic signals in the single-lane format while the $50 million rehabilitation of the bridge was being performed. The work — including removal and replacement of the bridge deck, a new paint and coating system and repairs to the steel superstructure, concrete piers and columns — is designed to extend the useful life of the structure by at least 50 years.

In a proposal for the bridge purchase released in April 2021, it was said the estimated minimum toll would be $1 once the bridge reopened in its new format.

At an open house in November, Parkersburg Bridge Partners Account Manager Jonathan Wallace said an administrative fee would be included with the bill for crossings without a transponder.

The target date for reopening the bridge is Aug. 31, which was moved up after the full closure.

The $1/$4.50 rate is for Class 1 vehicles. The rate for Class 2 vehicles, such as pickups pulling trailers, is $4 per trip with a transponder and $7.50 without.

The Memorial Bridge will remain closed until the $50 million rehabilitation project is finished, with a targeted date of Aug. 31, 2023. (File Photo)

Class 3 vehicles, including semi-tractors and trailers, will be charged $8 per trip across with a transponder and $11.50 without.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

From left, Kokosing Construction Company Project Superintendent Mike Lewis and Project Engineer Ben Robinson spoke with Belpre residents Steve and Karen Kempton during a community open house about the Memorial Bridge in November at the Wood County Society in downtown Parkersburg. (File Photo)