THE PLAN

According to the Thruway Authority, cashless tolling reduces congestion, improves traffic flow, is better for the environment, and allows for non-stop travel on New York’s toll roads, bridges and tunnels.

The Thruway is scheduled to convert to an entirely cashless tolling system by the end of 2020. There are two main phases of the project on the ticketed portion of the Thruway, which is located between exits 15 (Woodbury) on I-87 and 61 at Ripley and the Pennsylvania line on I-90.

The first phase is the installation of the gantries over the highway and exit and entrance ramps. This process began in the fall. Once all of the gantries are installed, system testing will occur over several months. All of the new systems will go live at the same time at the end of 2020.

Photo courtesy of thruway.ny.gov This is the South Grand Island Bridge Northbound, where the new cashless tolling is already in place and active.

The second phase of the project includes the removal of the toll plazas and the realignment and repaving of the exit/entrance ramps. This process will begin once the new cashless tolling system goes live and is expected to finish by fall 2021.

HOW IT WORKS

Motorists drive under a gantry with state-of-the-art sensors and cameras that read E-ZPass tags and take license plate images, so vehicles no longer have to stop or slow down to pay the toll. A gantry is an overhead structure with a platform supporting equipment such as antennas, cameras and other sensors.

Vehicles with E-ZPass tags are automatically charged and vehicles without E-ZPass tags will have their license plate image captured and a toll bill mailed to the registered owner of each vehicle. Customers who pay using tolls by mail will pay the same toll rate as previously paid by cash customers, and E-ZPass customers with New York accounts will continue to receive a 5% discount.

“So right now, if somebody goes over the Grand Island bridge (which is already in use), they just go over. They don’t have to stop for a toll booth, they don’t have to worry about paying in cash, they just travel over the bridge. If they have an EZPass, it gets read just like they do now. If they don’t, then the cameras will take a picture of the license plate and then they will get a bill in the mail 30-40 days after they travel,” said Jessica Mazurowski, Public Information Officer for the state Thruway Authority.

According to the authority, over the last 10 years, approximately 80% of all accidents within one-10th of a mile of the Grand Island Toll Barriers were caused by “following too close” or an “unsafe speed.” With the implementation of cashless tolling, they expect accidents within this area and others like it to be reduced greatly.

Also, notably, even though the gantries are being installed throughout the year, does not mean each one will be active when they finish construction. “When we go live, it’ll happen all at once. Everything has to be constructed, ready to go and tested. Once we ‘hit the switch’, everything will be turned on at once,” said Mazurowski. “They’ll be no more stopping at toll booths to pay a toll, but the toll booths will still be there. They will be removed in phase two of the project.”

CURRENT PROGRESS

As of this week, according to the Thruway Authority, the gantry installation progress is at 26%. Some of the gantries are already in place and ready to go live at the end of the year, while most are still in construction or pending to start installation. Some areas in New York already have active gantries that are in use.

In fact, in Niagara Falls, the Grand Island Bridges are already functioning with the new system. It is the second operational cashless tolling location that was installed in March of 2018. According to the Thruway Authority, the bridges are main thoroughfare for commuters and visitors between the city of Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

In 2017, nearly 65,000 vehicles went over the bridges per day; this traffic was constantly slowed and even backed up because of the toll booths. Now, with the new system, cars and trucks can easily just drive through the gantries without even slowing down.

When Governor Andrew M. Cuomo officially announced the “going live” of the Grand Island bridges and their new cashless tolling, he said “Open road, cashless tolling exemplifies New York’s commitment to a transportation system for a 21st-century economy,” Gov. Cuomo said. “By transitioning the Grand Island barriers to cashless tolling we will be saving time and easing congestion, allowing drivers to get where they need to go quicker and more efficiently.”

As for Chautauqua and Erie counties, most of the gantries are not planned to start being installed until April and June, ending in July, August and September. They’ve already started construction on the Lackawanna barrier and the Blasdell exit in Erie County.