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C O M M I S S I O N N E W S R E L E A S E |
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Contact: |
Joe Agnello, 724-755-5262 |
December 21,2001 |
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TURNPIKE
COMMITS TO OPEN MORE WESTERN PA Cash-paying
customers can still obtain a ticket and pay tolls in so-called
“dual-mode” lanes marked “E-ZPass and Tickets.” However, those
paying by traditional means must avoid the dedicated lanes marked “E-ZPass
Only.” “Our
original intent during the E-ZPass startup was to operate ‘dual mode’
lanes for both E-ZPass and ticket customers, with a lane dedicated for
E-ZPass only during rush hour at busier interchanges,” said Turnpike
Executive Director John T. Durbin. “The plan called for adding more
dedicated lanes in Western Pennsylvania as E-ZPass usage grew.” “However,
due to a significant number of phone calls and e-mails from E-ZPass
customers in the past week, we’re telling our interchange managers in to
dedicate lanes — especially at the busier interchanges — for E-ZPass
only.” Dedicated
E-ZPass lanes will be switched to dual mode if ticket traffic increases at
the toll plazas. “If
ticket customers start to back up onto the exit ramps, then we have to
switch the lanes back to dual mode,” Durbin said. “Obviously, we cannot
jeopardize the safety of our ticket-holding customers.” Durbin
reassured E-ZPass customers that the number of available dedicated lanes
will be expanded as E-ZPass enrollment grows. “It is a balancing act, and
we ask our customers to be patient,” he said. Travelers
should remember that E-ZPass, the Turnpike’s electronic toll-collection
system, is now operational system-wide at Interchange 1 through 37 for
passenger vehicles only. |
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P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676 Phone: (717) 939-9551 Fax: (717) 986-9649 |
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