E-ZPass
will Speed Travelers Through Interchanges
By Kathy Liebler

Imagine traveling through a toll plaza without having to stop to pay a toll. Significant steps are being taken to make electronic toll collection (ETC) a reality on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Design, scheduling and testing for such a system, called E-ZPass, is underway with the Turnpike Commission planning to implement it in the Philadelphia area in June 2000. Interchanges 23 (Downingtown) through 30 (Delaware River Bridge) along the east-west mainline and Interchanges 25A (Mid-County) through 33 (Lehigh Valley) on the Northeastern Extension, will be the first sections on the historic 58-year-old highway that will give Turnpike customers the option to pay their tolls electronically.

Here is how it is going to work. A transmitter or a transponder will be placed in the car of the ETC customer who has established a payment account with the Turnpike's Customer Service Center. The tag, usually mounted on the windshield or behind the rear view mirror, registers tolls electronically and then applies the amount to the customer's account. At first, the ETC designated lanes will be open to ETC customers and non-customers as well. However, as the popularity of E-ZPass grows, some lanes will be totally dedicated to ETC customers only.

Turnpike officials are confident the system will have "tremendous" appeal with Turnpike customers. "A system that completes a toll transaction without cash or tickets is a benefit that can't be beat," said Turnpike Executive Director John Durbin. "Motorists will have the ability to pass a toll booth without having to stop, lower their window and pass over money. Their hands will never have to leave the steering wheel."

Durbin pointed out other E-ZPass pluses besides customer convenience. Those include potential to reduce traffic congestion, especially during rush hours; streamlined accounting and security measures; data collection to aid with traffic management; improved air quality by reducing emissions from idling cars; and the Turnpike's compatibility with other Northeastern toll agencies which have implemented or are planning to implement electronic toll collection.
The Turnpike, in conjunction with E-ZPass, also is preparing to construct several "slip ramps" in the Philadelphia region. Those access ramps will provide ETC customers, traveling the Turnpike, to get on or off the highway at various points located in between regular Turnpike interchanges. Planned for construction west of Interchange 24 (Valley Forge), east of Interchange 26 (Fort Washington) and south of Interchange 31 (Lansdale) the ramps, like E-ZPass, are scheduled to be operational by June 2000.

Situated in areas with large business and industrial centers, the ramps will help reduce traffic volumes at interchanges and connecting local roadways. "Being able to use our conveniently located slip ramps will be another major benefit for our ETC customers," Durbin said. "Turnpike travelers expect service, safety and convenience. We have built our reputation on this legacy and with the implementation of electronic toll collection, we will enhance and strengthen that tradition."

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