News Release

‘Cashless’ Tolling Starts Sunday at PA Turnpike Bridge over Delaware River
Motorists without E-ZPass will pay via new PA Turnpike ‘TOLL BY PLATE’ system.

HIGHSPIRE, PA. (DEC. 31, 2015) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) reminds motorists of tolling changes coming this weekend to the eastern end of the PA Turnpike in Bucks County. A new cashless tolling point at the Turnpike Bridge over the Delaware River will open after midnight on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. This nonstop tolling point will be a one-way toll for westbound motorists crossing the Delaware River from New Jersey into Pennsylvania on Interstate 276.

E-ZPass motorists — who account for 80 percent of traffic at the bridge — will pay $5 for a two-axle (passenger) vehicle; non-E-ZPass motorists will pay $6.75 for a two-axle (passenger) vehicle via PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE, a new system that will take a photo of the license plate and mail an invoice to the vehicle owner. For commercial operators, each additional axle will cost an additional $5 for E-ZPass motorists and an additional $6.75 for non-E-ZPass motorists.

 “The new bridge toll will be collected automatically at highway speed so Turnpike travelers will not have to stop, which is safer and more convenient than stopping at a tollbooth,” said Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “The cashless toll is a one-way toll, meaning eastbound Turnpike travelers driving into New Jersey will no longer pay at this location, though the decommissioned Delaware River Bridge toll plaza will remain in place for a time.”

Motorists who do not use E-ZPass can expect the first PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE invoices in the mail during the week of Jan. 25.

When cashless tolling begins at the Delaware River, the start- and end-point of the PTC's ticket-based system will move to a different location about six miles to the west. The new Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza (#353) will become the eastern limit of the PA Turnpike ticket system. With these new changes, 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 also be decommissioned on the day of the conversion and eventually demolished.

The new, cashless toll at the Delaware River Bridge is a critical element of the PTC's $1.4 billion project to connect I-95 and the Turnpike.

“This is a vital project for the commission and the region and an essential first step in creating a long-awaited direct link between the Turnpike and I-95,” said Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan. “These modifications are necessary to facilitate the nonstop flow of traffic between Interstate 95 and the Turnpike when the link between the two interstates opens in late 2018.”

Chairman Logan said no fare-collection workers will be laid off when tollbooths are closed at the Delaware River Bridge and Delaware Valley Interchange. He said most collectors will be transferred to the new Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza and the rest will fill vacancies at other interchanges.

Changes for Westbound Motorists

Here’s what westbound motorists can expect after the conversion this weekend:

• All westbound motorists entering Pennsylvania from New Jersey will drive beneath overhead gantries right after crossing over the Delaware River Bridge. These gantries signify the tolling zone, where motorists pay the flat toll without stopping via E-ZPass or TOLL BY PLATE.
• From there, westbound motorists can exit at the Delaware Valley Interchange (U.S. Route 13) without stopping or paying, or they can continue west on the PA Turnpike to the Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza.
• At Neshaminy Falls, cash motorists will stop at a designated lane to take a toll ticket at the entry point onto the Turnpike's ticket-based system. (For now, TOLL BY PLATE will not be an option at Neshaminy Falls or any other PA Turnpike toll plaza except the Turnpike Bridge over the Delaware River.)
• The Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza signifies the entry point onto the Turnpike’s trip-based system for E-ZPass motorists too. Westbound E-ZPass motorists can drive through Neshaminy Falls at 55 mph via express lanes on the left or via 5 mph E-ZPass lanes to the right.

Changes for Eastbound Motorists

Here’s what eastbound motorists can expect after the conversion this weekend:

• Eastbound cash motorists will stop at the Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza to surrender their toll tickets and pay cash.
• Eastbound E-ZPass motorists can proceed through the Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza at 55 mph via express lanes on the left or via 5 mph E-ZPass lanes on the right.
• From there, all eastbound motorists can either exit at the Delaware Valley Interchange (U.S. Route 13) or cross the Delaware River Bridge into New Jersey without stopping or paying additional tolls.

Turnpike motorists in the area should be alert of changing traffic patterns, short-term stoppages and detours during the 8-hour conversion to cashless tolling that will start at 8 p.m. on Jan. 2 until around 4 a.m. on Jan. 3. In addition, the contractor will implement a detour for both eastbound and westbound traffic between the Delaware Valley Interchange and the Bensalem Interchange from 11 p.m. on Jan. 2 until around 4 a.m. on Jan. 3.

Cashless toll collection at the Delaware River tolling point will begin shortly after midnight on Jan. 3. Toll collection at the Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza will begin around 4 a.m. on Jan. 3 when the detour is lifted.

Motorists should be aware that the speed through the Delaware River Bridge toll plaza and the Delaware Valley Interchange will temporarily remain in place at the posted 5 mph limit until those facilities are torn down in the spring of 2016.

To watch a video about how cashless tolling works, visit www.nocashzone.com.

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