(WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike is launching one of the most significant changes to its operations ever, and here's what it means for customers.
According to the PA Turnpike, Open Road Tolling launches East of Reading and on the Northeast Extension in January 2025. The rest of the system will follow in 2027.
Tolls will now be charged electronically as customers drive without stopping or slowing down. PA Turnpike said this new equipment will ID a vehicle and electronically process a payment.
Additionally, toll plazas will be removed, and interchanges will be redesigned to improve traffic flow.
The Turnpike said customers will not need to change anything besides mounting their E-ZPass transponder and keeping their information current.
This change is a response to customers' complaints about the difficulty of navigating interchange locations. Redesigning interchanges will make commuters' lives safer and easier. They reported that 70% of Pa. Turnpike drivers prefer electronic tolling to cash plazas.
In addition to these changes, the Turnpike is also standardizing open road tolling. Currently, the system is inconsistent from mile to mile, and that will change in 2025.
Turnpike officials are implementing a base per-mile rate, which means customers will pay a single toll per segment rather than the trip toll.
According to the Turnpike, for standard two-axle vehicles, E-ZPass customers will pay $.07 per mile plus $1.09 per segment, and Toll-By-Plate customers will pay $.14 per mile plus $2.18 per segment. Additional vehicle types will pay a multiple of the E-ZPass or Toll-By-Plate rates.
Additionally, the Turnpike is moving away from weight-based classifications for commercial vehicles. The Turnpike said it is the only remaining toll agency that classifies vehicles based on weight. Now, commercial vehicles will be categorized by height and axles.
Changes to open road tolling also help drive economic development across Pennsylvania.
Improving transportation will increase mobility and freight movement, promoting economic development by linking developable areas to the Turnpike.
Turnpike officials also received requests from multiple municipalities for new access points, which they said may soon happen because of these new changes.
