Toll Road Contest Offers $500 Payouts

If you drive on Orange County toll roads, there could be a pot of gold at the end of the next off-ramp.

Beginning this 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.

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. 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,” said Joyce Hill, deputy director of customer service for the Toll Roads.

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.

This isn't the first time the TCA has held this type of contest. From November 2010 through June, TCA awarded $1,000 in free tolls to one winner each month. More than 100,000 account holders registered to make their trips eligible and $9,000 in free tolls were awarded.

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.