BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A new year inevitably marks transformation (and sometimes upheaval) and the transportation sector is no exception.
From planes and trains to automobiles, here’s what to keep an eye on in 2025 in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
Travelers, take note
Back in November, Allegiant Air announced 44 new nonstop routes, including 11 routes in three new cities.
While the additions marked the largest expansion in Allegiant’s history, they didn’t include any new routes to or from the Lehigh Valley.
However, the company will resume nonstop flights from Lehigh Valley International Airport to Denver beginning May 22.
Back to the Mile High City! Nonstop flights to Denver, Colorado will resume in May 22, 2025 aboard @Allegiant. Book your flight TODAY on https://t.co/2RxYIBwVwD. @69News @mcall @LVNewsdotcom @lehighvalley @LVB_com @BRCNews13 @DENAirport pic.twitter.com/NNg1Tohtlt
— ABE Airport (@FlyABE_) November 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Delta (which offers daily routes to Atlanta from the Allentown area) will give a major upgrade to its cabin interiors, the company announced recently.
The “modern” design will feature new seating materials, enhanced lighting, a renewed color palette and more, Delta said on its website.
And while aesthetics don’t appear to be changing on United flights, the Chicago-based carrier running routes from LVIA to O’Hare is making a number of changes to its Premier status program.
You can learn about that on its website, while American Airlines reportedly will start offering the ability to spend AAdvantage miles as a form of payment for upgrades starting in 2025.
Get ready for REAL ID
The long-delayed requirement for travelers to have a REAL ID will begin in May when the Transportation Security Administration begins enforcement.
Starting May 7, Americans planning to fly will only be able to do so if they are REAL ID approved or have another federally accepted ID, such as a passport.
For travelers who do not have a REAL ID and want to get one before the deadline, the first step is to visit the PennDOT website and learn what you’ll need to provide with your application.
Turnpike tolls, Open Road Tolling
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will convert its tolling system to Open Road Tolling, ORT, east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension starting this month, capping a 15-year transition.
In an ORT system, tolls are charged electronically while drivers maintain highway speeds without slowing down or stopping beneath overhead structures — called gantries — located between interchanges, according to the Turnpike Commission.
Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway will process E-ZPass or Toll-By-Plate transactions. Beyond properly mounting the normal E-ZPass transponder in their vehicle, drivers will not need to do anything differently in preparation for the launch.
A 5% toll increase will begin Jan. 5, but will not be felt by all drivers because of a change that follows national standards for vehicle classification.
Instead:
- Commissioners approved a base per-mile rate of $0.07/mile plus a $1.09 fee per segment (distance between interchanges) for E-ZPass customers. Toll By Plate, or TBP, customers will pay double that rate
- Additional vehicle classes will pay a multiple of the E-ZPass or TBP base rate
- Overall, commissioners said nearly 50% of passenger car trips will see a lower toll rate in 2025 compared to what they paid in the past. About 84% of E-ZPass and 74% of TBP trips will see a toll cut or an increase of less than $1 in 2025 and about 70% of commercial vehicles will see an increase of $5 or less
New Toll Schedule by LehighValley Newsdotcom on Scribd
Annual fee for electric vehicles
A bill that established a new annual fee for owners of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will take effect in 2025.
Senate Bill 656, which Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law, is viewed as a way to bolster highway construction funding that has fallen on drivers paying state and federal gas taxes at the pump.
EV drivers avoid that tax, but will now pay another way.
The fee is set at $200 for 2025 and jumps to $250 in 2026. Every year after that, it will be reset based on the prior year’s consumer price index.
Owners of plug-in hybrid cars will pay 25% of the EV fee, or $50 in 2025.
The fee will be assessed simultaneously with annual vehicle registration, though the state Transportation Department has been asked to give motorists the option to pay the EV fee in monthly installments.
If the fee is not paid, vehicle registration will not be considered valid for law enforcement purposes.
Legislators said the fee would generate about $16 million in 2025. It will be deposited in the state’s Motor License Fund to help pay for construction, maintenance, repair and safety improvements on roadways and bridges.
Passenger rail study hits a snag
The fate of passenger rail in the Lehigh Valley remains as murky as ever entering the new year.
In late November, Northampton County Council failed to advance an amendment to allocate $225,000 requested by the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study.
Council President Lori Vargo Heffner, who introduced the amendment, called it a good first step in studying the feasibility of passenger rail restoration.
She also pointed out that Lehigh County was slated to match the funding.
Ultimately, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure stated the funding should come from other sources, and Commissioner John Goffredo also said he thought the money should be spent elsewhere.
“I think this is a much bigger project than $225,000 can serve,” Goffredo said during the hearing.
Lehigh County's pledge of $225,000 was contingent on Northampton County matching the contribution, sending the transportation study back to square one.
The funding would have been dedicated to a second phase of study related to the potential project to restore intercity passenger rail service to the Lehigh Valley.
