What You Need To Know About The New Cashless Tolls On The Turnpike

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has changed forever.

The toll booths at the Delaware Valley Bridge and Delaware Valley Interchange in Bristol Township have closed. The westbound toll booths at the bridge have been replaced by cashless tolls for EZ-Pass customers and non-EZ-Pass customers.

We have a wrap up of what you need to know.

No Cash

Drivers traveling westbound (into Pennsylvania) are now able to travel nonstop until the next interchange in Bensalem. The new nonstop tolling point that takes the place of the Delaware Valley Bridge toll booths will allow EZ-Pass and non-EZ-pass drivers to pass through without having to stop. The new system will bill non-EZ-pass drivers through “toll by plate,” which uses a new system that will take a photo of the license plate and mail an invoice to the vehicle owner.

The Toll

Drivers will pay $5 for a two-axle (passenger) vehicle; non-E-ZPass motorists will pay $6.75 for a two-axle (passenger) vehicle via PA Turnpike TOLL BY PLATE. For commercial operators, each additional axle will cost an additional $5 for E-ZPass motorists and an additional $6.75 for non-E-ZPass motorists.

Eastbound travelers will not be impacted by the change.

The closed toll booths will remain standing until demolition in spring. Motorists are asked to slow as they pass through the former toll booths.

Where Can I Get A Ticket?

The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s ticket-based toll system resumes at the new Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza in Bensalem. The new system means tickets will no longer be collected or issued at the Delaware Valley Bridge or Delaware Valley Interchange in Bristol Township.

The Delaware Valley toll plaza is closed and will eventually be taken down.

Will The Route 13 Interchange Remain Open?

Yes. Officials from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission say that drivers will still be be able to get on and off the Turnpike the same way they have been able to for years. The toll plazas that greet drivers entering and exiting via Route 13 will be closed as part of the change.

Why?

The new nonstop tolls are part of the Turnpike and I-95 direct link that is currently under construction in Bensalem and Bristol Township. The $1.4 billion project will connect the two highways after decades of planning. Officials call the new nonstop tolls a “critical element” of the project that will be finished in late 2018.

“This is a vital project for the commission and the region and an essential first step in creating a long-awaited direct link between the Turnpike and I-95,” Turnpike Chairman Sean Logan said. “These modifications are necessary to facilitate the nonstop flow of traffic between Interstate 95 and the Turnpike when the link between the two interstates opens in late 2018.”

How It Works

The new Toll By Plate system grabs photos of non-EZ-Pass motorists’ license plates as they pass and locates information on the vehicle owner. The system uses cameras located on the overhead gantry installed above the westbound lanes of the Turnpike. Using a computer program, the Turnpike will send monthly invoices to the registered owner of the vehicle that passes under the new Toll By Plate system. The first invoices will be sent the week of January 25.

The EZ-Pass system will be high-speed and will capture the information from the transponders attached to the vehicle.

What Happened To The Fare Collectors?

Officials have stated that no fare-collection workers were laid off once the new nonstop tolls system went online early Sunday morning. The workers from the Delaware Valley Bridge and Delaware Valley Interchange toll plazas will be reassigned to the new Neshaminy Falls Toll Plaza and the rest will fill vacancies at other interchanges.