Gateway Toll Plaza and Greensburg Bypass Go Cashless Oct. 27
E-ZPass and PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE only methods of payment.
HARRISBURG, PA (Oct. 24, 2019) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is reminding drivers that cashless, or all electronic, tolling will go into effect this weekend at the Gateway Toll Plaza in Lawrence County near the Ohio/Pennsylvania border and at the Greensburg Bypass (PA Turnpike 66) in Westmoreland County. This means that cash or credit will no longer be accepted at these locations.
“October 27 marks a significant change in the way we are collecting tolls,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “We need to make sure motorists understand that the conversion to cashless tolling at these locations means they will no longer need to stop in the lane to pay a toll.”
Drivers who usually pay with cash or credit at the Gateway Toll Plaza and PA Turnpike 66 will now be billed by mail via the PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE program. A photo of the license plate will be taken, and an invoice will be sent to the vehicle’s owner. Drivers with E-ZPass will pay as usual.
Only eastbound motorists entering Pennsylvania at the Gateway Toll Plaza, located at milepost 1.4, pay a toll. With the cashless-tolling conversion, drivers will keep moving and won’t stop to pay a toll. TOLL BY PLATE and E-ZPass will be the only forms of payment at this location.
As motorists continue driving eastbound on the PA Turnpike, cash customers will need to stop and pick up a ticket at the Warrendale Toll Plaza located at milepost 30.9 in Allegheny County, which is where the ticket system begins. E-ZPass users continue to travel as usual.
Cashless tolling is also being implemented on PA Turnpike 66 on Oct. 27. Drivers will no longer stop and pay the toll at the mainline plaza, nor will they have to drop change into the baskets at the exit ramps. Current cash customers will receive a TOLL BY PLATE invoice in the mail. E-ZPass customers travel as usual.
Here’s how it works:
A motorist passes under a tolling gantry or through existing tolling lanes with high-speed cameras mounted overhead. If the cashless, or all electronic, tolling platform does not detect an E-ZPass transponder, high-resolution cameras will capture license-plate images. Within the month, the Turnpike will issue a toll invoice to the car or truck’s registered owner.
E-ZPass customers, who make up about 82 percent of all traffic, will continue to pay the same way they pay today: E-ZPass readers scan transponders, and the account will be charged the appropriate toll. Using E-ZPass remains the most economical choice. The rates are much lower than PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE. Customers can see the toll rates for these locations and learn more about cashless tolling by visiting www.nocashzone.com.
“This new cashless toll-collection system has proven successful in other parts of the country,” said Compton. “It allows for the free flow of traffic by not stopping to pay a toll, it eases congestion, boosts mobility and ensures safer travel for motorists throughout the region.”
Cashless tolling is already in place at the Findlay Connector section of the Southern Beltway in Allegheny and Washington counties, the Beaver Valley Expressway (Toll 376) and the Turnpike Bridge over the Delaware River, plus parts of the Northeastern Extension of the PA Turnpike. Toll collectors at all converted locations were reassigned to other tolling facilities along the PA Turnpike.
CONTACT:
Renee Vid Colborn, 724-755-5260
Rosanne Placey, 717-831-7507