UNION COUNTY, N.C. — For the second time since opening the Monroe Expressway, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority is waiving late fees after the state failed to mail out toll bills on time. The state estimates the delayed bills make up less than 1 percent of the 1.7 million invoices mailed since the $730 million toll road opened in late November.
Director of Toll Operations Andy Lelewski called the delays the result of "isolated issues."
Most people who drive on the expressway don't have a quick pass, so it's up to cameras to snap a picture of their license plate. Then, it's up to the state to send a bill. Some people have reported bills that were late by weeks, even months.
"The due date on the bill I think was February 10 and we didn't get the bill until February 20," Rebecca Davis said.
Davis said her husband drove on the Monroe Expressway in December. By the time they got the bill in the mail, she said it was already past due.
"It's kind of crazy," she said. "You would think you're on something and then within a few weeks you would get the bill for it, not two, three months later."
Another batch of late bills arrived earlier this month.
"Here we are in April, almost May, I don't understand why we're still having issues," Davis said.
The state alerted those impacted by the most recent delay through email.
"Due to a system error, the invoice was not emailed to you on time," the email said. "The system problem has been corrected and we apologize that delivery of this invoice was delayed. Please note, NC Quick Pass will be waiving the late fee in the event this invoice is not paid by due date."
Lelewski said the most recent delays are the result of a system that's still new. He said the previous delays were the result of a quality control effort by the state to ensure the first batch of bills were correct.
The toll operations director said he's confident there won't be any more billing issues moving forward. The state urged customers to reach out to the North Carolina Turnpike Authority directly if they have concerns.
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