'Being a good neighbor:' Turnpike officials announce benefits of Open Road Tolling

Compton, along with Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey and Chief Engineer Brad Heigel, discussed Open Road Tolling, or ORT, at a press conference Wednesday, July 24 at the Turnpike’s Eastern Regional Office in King of Prussia. The new tolling system will launch Jan. 5 in the eastern part of the PA Turnpike.    

You can catch a video of the press conference here.

Open Road Tolling press conference (vbrick.com)

“When we opened in 1940 as America’s First Superhighway, we set the national standard for interstate highway design and engineering,” Heigel said. “Open Road Tolling continues that legacy and continues the modernization of our system.”

PA Turnpike Chief Engineer Brad Heigel talks at a press conference Wednesday about Open Road Tolling and the benefits it brings. 

Heigel explained as part of Open Road Tolling, E-ZPass transponders and license plates will be read by tolling equipment situated above the highway on overhead gantries as vehicles drive underneath at highway speeds. Since the old toll booths, where tolls are registered now, will no longer be needed, crews will begin removing them after the launch of ORT, creating a free-flowing system. While ORT is launching east of the Reading Interchange and along the Northeast Extension first, the rest of the Turnpike will make the switch in January 2027.  

Beyond being a more convenient system of tolling, Compton said ORT means so much more to those around the Turnpike in terms of economic development.

“It’s an opportunity for us to be a better neighbor and to get into new communities,” Compton said. “The Lafayette Street Interchange in Norristown would not be a reality but for Open Road Tolling.”

ORT is better for the environment, too, cutting down on the footprint necessary to build the interchange and reducing carbon dioxide emissions since cars and trucks will no longer be idling as they funnel through toll plazas, he said.

Another key to being a good neighbor is the ability to share the fiber optic network that’s necessary to handle all of the data transmitted from the tolling equipment on the gantries to the back office near Harrisburg. There is enough capacity on that system to bring high-speed internet connections to underserved communities, Compton added.

And from an operating perspective, Shuey said one of the biggest benefits of Open Road Tolling is improved safety.

PA Turnpike Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey talks to a reporter after Wednesday’s Open Road Tolling press conference.

“For generations, folks have driven through our interchanges having to come to a stop or slow down,” Shuey said. That can create congestion and confusion at toll plazas, which is eliminated with ORT. “That’s a core part of our history – to provide safe and easy transportation across the system.”

Another benefit, Shuey added, is that when the Turnpike flips the switch to Open Road Tolling, customers won’t have to do anything. The change will be automatic for them.  

They will see a change on their invoice, however, as ORT simplifies the whole process, Shuey said. E-ZPass customers will pay a standard rate of 7 cents per mile plus $1.09 per segment between gantries. That rate is double for Toll by Plate customers. Commercial drivers will no longer be tolled with the outdated weight system but will be registered by height and axle.

In other words, Open Road Tolling is the next big thing for the PA Turnpike.  

“It’s great to be a part of an 85-year-old organization that is still in growth mode,” Compton concluded. “We’re excited about the future, and a key part of that future is Open Road Tolling.”

By Steve Marroni, PA Turnpike Communications Specialist