Business & Tech

Newport Coast Woman Wins $500 in Free Tolls

FasTrak User Cheryl Kennard was randomly selected while driving on the 73 Toll Road at Newport Coast Drive.

A Newport Coast woman will be enjoying her work commute for the next few months thanks to a .

Cheryl Kennard, a local accountant, was randomly selected on Oct. 31 as one of two winners in the monthly $500 free toll giveway being held by The Toll Roads. Kennard was selected while exiting the 73 Toll Road at Newport Coast Drive. She has been driving The Toll Roads since 2000 in order to cut down her commute time and says she is excited about her winnings.

"Winning $500 in free tolls amounts to about three months of free driving,” Kennard said.

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Monrovia resident Jim Teegarden was also randomly selected on Oct. 20 for the $500 free toll giveaway. Teegarden is a construction manager who drives The Toll Roads to commute to his office in Newport Beach. His winning transaction occurred while he was driving through the Catalina View Mainline Toll Plaza on the 73 Toll Road.

"When traffic is bad, it is never bad on The Toll Roads,”  Teegarden said.

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Wanna win? Here's how

Each month, two drivers who pay with FasTrak on the 73, 133, 241 or 261 toll roads will be randomly selected to win $500 in free tolls, according to the Transportation Corridor Agencies. Winners will be selected at the end of each month and their accounts credited with $500. Each time a driver takes a trip, their account number will be entered into that month's drawing. TCA officials say only the account holder is eligible to win, not the person driving during the selected trip. The contest continues through Sept. 30.

To be eligible, FasTrak account holders need to log in online or go to thetollroads.com/500 to register. Joyce Hill, deputy director of customer service for the Toll Roads, says once registered, drivers will be automatically entered to win every time they drive the 73, 133, 241 or 261.

“The more trips they take, the better their odds of winning,” Hill said.

Drivers who do not have a TCA FasTrak account can sign up for one at TheTollRoads.com, or in person at the FasTrak Service Center at 125 Pacifica in Irvine. According to TCA officials, FasTrak drivers can save money at every pay point on The Toll Roads, usually $.40 to $.80 compared to the cash toll, saving about $100 or more a year for the average user.


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