All You Need to Know About the Tolls in Puerto Rico

Toll Roads

There are several toll roads in Puerto Rico. Their cost is pretty reasonable at between thirty-five cents and five dollars, but the wait in line to pay the tolls could be long depending on when you are driving. If you are driving during rush hour expect to wait for a while.

The following roads have tolls in Puerto Rico:

• PR-5 – Connects PR-22 with Baymón and has one toll.
• PR-17 – Connects PR-26 with PR-20 and has one toll.
• PR-20 – Connects PR-1 to PR-2 (north) and has one toll.
• PR-22 – Connects San Juan to Hatillo and has six tolls.
• PR-52 – Connects Río Piedras with Ponce and has seven tolls.
• PR-53 – Connects Fajardo to Salinas and has five tolls.
• PR-66 – Connects Carolina to Río Grande and has three tolls.

Toll Costs

In Puerto Rico you can pay MOST tolls with either cash or AutoExpreso. The currency in Puerto Rico is the US dollar, so there is no hassle there. AutoExpreso is essentially the Puerto Rican version of EZ-Pass. More on that below.

Some tolls in Puerto Rico are now completely cashless. Others only have one cash lane with an excruciatingly long line and wait. We highly recommend you get the AutoExpreso tag to save time. If you do not have one and end up going through a cashless toll, you will end up with a hefty toll.

If you want to know what tolls will cost you before you head out wherever your going, you can calculate tolls in Puerto Rico here.

A few examples of toll costs on popular routes in Puerto Rico are:

• From San Juan to San German in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $2.25
• From San German to San Juan in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $4.50
• From Aguadilla to San Juan in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $4.20
• From San Juan to Aguadilla in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $2.60
• From Arecibo to Carolina in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $4.60
• From Carolina to Arecibo in a regular car with one axel will cost approximately $4.85

You should note that the toll prices are charged per axel. So, if you are driving an RV which has two axels on the same trip in a car with one axel that cost $2.25 will now cost approximately $4.50.
 

AutoExpreso

AutoExpreso is the Puerto Rican version of EZ-Pass. It is an electronic transponder tag you place in your car so that sensors at the toll booths will pick up the signal when you drive past and charge you automatically.

However, unlike EZ-Pass, you will need to “pre-fill” your Auto-Expreso tag with credit. You can do so at Puma and Total gas stations in Puerto Rico. Make sure you always have at least ten dollars on the tag just in case you need to do a lot of driving one day. Certain toll plazas will actually have replenishment lanes where you can re-fill your tag as well. Just look for the green “R” on these lanes.

As we mentioned earlier, it is highly recommended to get AutoExpreso if you are going to be driving in Puerto Rico. Some tolls are now completely cashless and only accept AutoExpreso.

You can find out more about AutoExpreso on their website.
 

Toll-free routes in Puerto Rico

You might want to avoid the tolls in Puerto Rico altogether. If you do choose to do this, realize you will likely be increasing your travel time considerably.

The following are some popular toll-free routes in Puerto Rico:

• San Juan to San German – If you choose this route, your travel time will increase from a little over two hours to almost three and a half hours.
• San German to San Juan – If you choose this route, your travel time will increase from two hours and twenty minutes to three hours and forty minutes. Please note that there might be a restricted access road included in this route.
• From Aguadilla to San Juan – If you choose this route, your travel time will increase from two hours to three hours. Please note that there might be a restricted access road included in this route.
• From San Juan to Aguadilla – If you choose this route, your travel time will increase from two hours and twenty minutes to just over three hours.
• From Arecibo to Carolina – If you choose this route, you will be increasing your travel time from one and a half hours to two and a half hours.
• From Carolina to Arecibo – If you choose this route, you will be increasing your travel time from one a half hours to two and a half hours.

Conclusion

If you are going to be driving in Puerto Rico and do not want to add a bunch of unnecessary time and miles to your trips after you ship your car there, you will need to use toll roads. There are a bunch in all directions. Be sure to get an AutoExpreso tag too which will make your life a lot easier.