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| COMMISSION NEWS RELEASE | |||||
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| New Pa. Turnpike 'E-ZPass-Only' Interchange Opens in Bucks County Eastbound on/off ramps will link Interstate 276 and State Route 132 (Street Road). |
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| The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) today will open a new E-ZPass Only Interchange in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, approximately one-half mile east of its Bensalem Interchange (Exit #351). Officials anticipate opening the partial interchange following a ribbon-cutting ceremony set to start at 11:30 a.m. The so-called All Electronic Interchange (AEI) -- to be designated as the Street Road Interchange (Exit #352) -- will only accommodate eastbound entering and eastbound exiting traffic and offer direct Pa. Turnpike access via Street Road (State Route 132) between the Parx Casino, Bensalem, Pa., and U.S. Route 1. Only motorists with an active E-ZPass account will be eligible to utilize the Street Road AEI. All E-ZPass tags from any of the 24 affiliated tolling agencies in 14 states (primarily in the Northeastern U.S.) will be accepted. Non-E-ZPass (cash-paying) motorists who try to use the interchange will receive a video-toll violation in the mail and are liable to pay the toll from the farthest Pa. Turnpike entry point plus administrative fees. The cost to exit via the new interchange from points west will be the same toll as if exiting at Delaware Valley (#358). For those who got on the Turnpike at Street Road, the toll at the two plazas east of the AEI -- Delaware Valley #358 and Delaware River Bridge #359 -- will be the same as if entering at Bensalem (formerly the Philadelphia Interchange). The new interchange will help improve traffic flow on the Turnpike mainline and alleviate congestion at the neighboring Bensalem and Delaware Valley toll plazas; it will enhance mobility on adjoining roadways and provide improved access to nearby attractions like the Parx Casino and Race Track and destinations such as Neshaminy State Park, Benjamin Rush State Park and others. The Street Road AEI is the product of a unique, public-public partnership between the PTC and Bensalem Township which started to take shape in 2006 when the two parties discussed the idea of carrying out this cooperative, transportation-improvement project. Under the terms of the agreement, the township managed the design and construction of the AEI while the PTC reimbursed the township for all related costs. In May 2009, the township bid the project, awarding a $7.4 million contract to James D. Morrissey Construction, Philadelphia. Pennoni Associates Inc., Philadelphia, provided design and construction-management services and Michael Baker Jr. Inc., Pittsburgh, served as general consultant. It is the second E-ZPass Only interchange to come online in Pennsylvania since the westbound-only Virginia Drive Interchange (Exit #340) opened in December 2000 to provide direct access to and from the Fort Washington Office Center in Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County. Two more all-electronic (E-ZPass Only) interchanges are now in design in the state: The $50 million Route 29 AEI in Chester County is scheduled to start construction in spring 2011 with anticipated completion in fall 2012. The $25 million Route 903 AEI in Carbon County is targeted to start construction in 2012 with anticipated completion in spring 2014. Both AEIs are full interchanges featuring both east/west or north/south entry and exit ramps. Today, more than 900,000 customers have enrolled in the Pennsylvania Turnpike's E-ZPass program, and most Pennsylvania Turnpike travelers (more than 62 percent statewide) prefer to pay electronically. To get E-ZPass, visit www.paturnpike.com or call 1-877-PENN-PASS (1-877-736-6727). |
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