Pennsylvania Turnpike switches to open-road tolling in January

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 23:02 · Archive

Pennsylvania's tollbooths, which have stood since 1940, will be replaced by open-road tolling gantries starting in January.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike will eliminate its iconic tollbooths, which have been a fixture since the system opened in 1940, when it switches to open-road tolling in January. The system will charge drivers per mile for segments between gantries, plus a segment fee. The Turnpike Commission phased out human toll collectors in 2020 and has been developing the open-road system since 2010, installing a pilot gantry on a Delaware River bridge in Bucks County in 2016.

Under the new system, gantries positioned between interchanges will scan E-ZPass devices as vehicles pass underneath at full speed, eliminating the need for drivers to brake and merge into toll lanes. Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton said the change improves safety: drivers no longer have to weave between interchange lanes, resulting in fewer rear-end and sideswipe crashes. Nineteen gantries were activated in Eastern Pennsylvania in January 2025, with a further 18 gantries—11 in Western Pennsylvania and seven in the central region—going live on 3 January. Compton described the system as 'a matter of making sure the configuration works and making sure our customers adapt'.

How it is being reported

• Pa. Turnpike accelerates into open-road tolling system in JanuaryThe Pennsylvania Turnpike’s tollbooths have endured as a statewide institution since the system opened in 1940. Countless customers passed through their gates over the past eight decades, even as surrounding infrastructure transformed and the Turnpike Commission phased out human toll collectors in 2020.TribLIVE · 6 Nov, 22:40
• Goodbye toll booths: Pennsylvania Turnpike to switch to open-road tolling on Jan. 1Pittsburgh Post-Gazette · 6 Nov, 16:24

In this story: Pennsylvania Turnpike · Turnpike Commission · Mark Compton · Pennsylvania

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