RALEIGH, N.C. – Toll rates on two highways in major North Carolina urban areas will inch up in the new year.

Annual increases are set to take effect Jan. 1 for the Triangle Expressway and the Monroe Expressway in the Charlotte area, the state Department of Transportation said Friday in a news release.

The charge to travel the length of the Triangle Expressway will rise more than 3%, to $3.94, for most drivers using N.C. Quick Pass with a transponder. For those same drivers on the Monroe Expressway, traveling the full length will cost $2.85, a rise of more than 2%.

Both highways are about 18 miles long and use open tolling, in which cameras capture vehicles’ license information and drivers are billed by mail. Motorists can buy a Quick Pass transponder that enables electronic toll deductions at a discounted rate.

The Triangle Expressway links N.C. 540 between N.C. 55 and N.C. 54 in Wake and Durham counties. The Monroe Expressway runs from U.S. 74 in Mecklenburg County to U.S. 74 in Union County.