September 26, 2019 News Release

PA Turnpike Online Public Meeting Set for Oct. 1 to Explain Cashless Tolling

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will host an interactive, online meeting on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. to inform travelers about the new way cash customers will pay tolls at the Gateway Interchange in Lawrence County near the Ohio border and on PA Turnpike 66 in Westmoreland County. Turnpike CEO Mark Compton encourages motorists to join the meeting by computer, tablet or smartphone via the project web site, www.nocashzone.com/VirtualMeeting.

“October 27 marks a significant change in the way we are collecting tolls and we want our customers to be prepared,” said 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 to pay a toll.”

During the online meeting, Compton and other Turnpike representatives will discuss how cashless tolling works and what payment options will be available. During the meeting, participants may email their questions about the conversions to the Turnpike representatives and answers will be provided.

Gateway Interchange in Lawrence County and PA Turnpike 66 (also known as the Greensburg Bypass) are scheduled to convert to cashless tolling on Oct. 27. Drivers who usually pay with cash will pay via PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE, which will snap a photo of the license plate and mail a toll bill to the vehicle’s owner. Drivers with E-ZPass will pay as usual.

Only eastbound motorists entering Pennsylvania at Gateway Interchange pay a toll. With the cashless tolling conversion, drivers keep moving through the toll plaza and do not stop to pay a toll. TOLL BY PLATE and E-ZPass will be the only form 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 being implemented on PA Turnpike 66 on Oct. 27 also. Drivers will no longer need to stop and pay the toll at the mainline plaza, nor will they have to drop change into the baskets at the exit ramps. Cash customers will be billed in the mail through the PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE system. E-ZPass customers travel as usual.

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

E-ZPass customers, who make up more than 80 percent of all traffic, will continue to pay the same way they pay today: E-ZPass readers will scan transponders, and the account will be charged the appropriate toll.

“This new cashless toll-collection system has proven successful in other parts of the country,” says 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.

To learn more about cashless tolling, check out the video about it works at www.nocashzone.com.

CONTACT:
Renee Vid Colborn
Phone: 724-755-5260