PA Turnpike to Hold Online Public Meeting on Cashless Tolling Point at Delaware River

Dec. 8 session will detail new bridge toll, explain new PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE system.

HARRISBURG, PA. (Nov. 24, 2015) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will host an interactive, online meeting on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. to inform travelers about the new Delaware River Bridge toll on Interstate 276 in Bucks County and explain how a new cashless tolling system will work for those who do not use E-ZPass. Turnpike CEO Mark Compton encourages motorists to join the meeting by computer, tablet or smartphone via the project web site, www.nocashzone.com

“This is a significant change for our system, and we want to be sure that customers are aware and prepared for the January launch of this cashless tolling point,” said Compton. “Our first concern, always, is for the safety of our customers and employees; we need to make sure motorists understand that they will no longer need stop to pay this toll

During the online meeting, Compton will discuss the new toll, other traffic pattern changes in the area, how cashless tolling works and what payment options will be available. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and hear answers from a PA Turnpike panel.

The Delaware River Bridge cashless tolling point is scheduled to open just after midnight on Jan. 3, 2016; it will replace the Delaware River Bridge Toll Plaza at milepost 359 near the New Jersey line. A new flat toll of $5 for E-ZPass customers in a two-axle vehicle and $6.75 for non-E-ZPass customers in a two-axle vehicle will be charged. (Commercial vehicles will pay an additional charge for each axle.) Drivers who usually pay cash at the bridge will pay via PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE, a new system that will snap a photo of the license plate and mail a toll bill to the vehicle’s owner. Only westbound motorists entering Pennsylvania will pay the new toll; those driving into New Jersey will not pay.

Here’s how it works: If the cashless system does not detect an E-ZPass transponder, high-resolution cameras mounted on overhead steel structures called gantries will capture license-plate images, and the Turnpike will issue an invoice about once a month to the car or truck’s registered owner.

“The new bridge toll will be collected automatically at highway speed so motorists will not have to stop, which is safer and more convenient than stopping at a tollbooth,” Compton said.

E-ZPass customers, who make up more than 80 percent of all traffic at the Delaware River Bridge, will continue to pay the bridge toll the same way they pay today: E-ZPass readers mounted to gantries over the road will scan transponders, and the account will be charged the apropos toll.

For a few weeks after the new Delaware River Bridge tolling point is opened, westbound motorists will proceed beneath the gantries, and then safely pass through the decommissioned tollbooths at lower speeds without stopping. After the existing Delaware River Bridge Toll Plaza is fully removed and the highway restored, travel at normal posted speeds through this area will be permitted.

When cashless tolling begins at the Delaware River Bridge, the start- and end-point of the Turnpike’s ticket-based system will move to a different location about six miles to the west. The new Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza, now being built at milepost 353, will become the eastern limit of the Turnpike’s ticket system.

PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE will not be available at the Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza or anywhere else on the PA Turnpike system except the Delaware River Bridge tolling point.

In addition, tolls will no longer be collected (or tickets issued) at the Delaware Valley/U.S. Route 13 Interchange (#358) — though motorists will still be able to get on and off the PA Turnpike/I-276 as they can today. That toll plaza, along with the Delaware River Bridge Toll Plaza (#359) will be closed on the day of the conversion and demolished shortly thereafter.

The new bridge toll is a critical part of the Turnpike’s $1.4 billion project to connect the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-95. The new cashless toll-collection system will allow for the free flow of traffic between the two interstates, easing congestion, boosting mobility and ensuring safer travel for motorists throughout the region.

PA Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan explained that the new tolling point is the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s first implementation of cashless tolling across its 550-mile system. It will serve as a pilot project to monitor and evaluate cashless tolling.

“We will move towards cashless tolling in a judicious manner to evaluate implications for customers, employees and operating systems,” Logan said. “This is the first of two pilot projects we will launch to evaluate the program before significant, unalterable decisions are made about future PA Turnpike conversions.”

Logan said there will be no layoffs during the two pilot projects. The second cashless tolling pilot project is planned for the Beaver Valley Expressway located northwest of Pittsburgh in mid- to late 2016.

Roughly 40,000 vehicles travel across the Delaware River Bridge each day. To watch a video about how cashless tolling works, visit www.nocashzone.com.

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