New Turnpike Tolling Plan a Go

BENSALEM, Pa. -- Come this January, lower Bucks County motorists will find something gone from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Traffic congestion, disabled vehicles and accidents still might be there, but missing will be toll booths, those overhang structures called gantries.

Under a new Open Road Tolling (ORT) system beginning next year, turnpike travelers will see toll booths gone with payment converted to an electronic method – E-ZPass or Toll-by-Plate transactions -- east of Rading and on the Northeast Corridor.

The system charges as drivers travel at highway speeds without slowing or stopping. Without mounting an E-ZPass transponder, customers will not need to do anything in advance of the start of ORT.

The Turnpike Commission said ORT keeps the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the fore of highway safety and engineering, and helps meet customer expectations for safe, convenient and seamless travel. It also goes a long way in reducing CO2 emissions, it said.

“The advent of Open Road Tolling will advance safety and allow for the safe movement of vehicular traffic across our network,” said Michael Carroll, secretary, state Transportation Department, and chairman, Turnpike Commission. “This move reiterates our commitment to the safety of our customers and employees while modernizing our operations and meeting customer expectations.”

The new ORT system brings many benefits, said Carroll. It eliminates the confusion and lane switching association with traditional, stop-and-go tolling. Doing away with tollbooths removes obstacles, he said, and increases sight lines for drivers. The result is a reduction in stress and distraction when entering or exiting the system.

And non-stop travel also reduces emissions, requires less fuel use, and leads to a cleaner environment, he said. The Turnpike’s transition in 2020 to cashless tolling resulted in a 45 percent systemwide reduction in CO2 emissions, or approximately 65 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

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New tolling system could reduce traffic jams.Photo byQuaid LaganonUnsplash