The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is preparing to remove all toll booths as they transition to the new “Open Road Tolling” (ORT) system.

Scheduled for implementation in 2025, ORT will eliminate the need for drivers to stop or slow down at toll booths on the PA Turnpike. Instead, electronic tolls will be collected via overhead gantries placed along the entire 564-mile stretch of the Turnpike. Once these gantries are operational, traditional toll booths will be phased out and eventually taken down.

Construction on the gantries will commence this year and is anticipated to finish by late 2025 or early 2026.

With the shift to ORT, toll rates on the Turnpike will be standardized. The new pricing structure will involve a per-mile fee based on the distance traveled between interchanges (referred to as segments) and a fixed charge at each gantry location.

How Does The Open Road Tolling System Work?

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) provided details on how the Open Road Tolling (ORT) system will function:

  1. Vehicles are categorized based on size and axle count using advanced sensors installed on gantries and in the road. These sensors also differentiate between individual vehicles.
  2. E-ZPass readers, mounted on gantries, communicate with transponder devices installed in vehicles of prepaid account holders. This method is preferred by 86% of Pennsylvania Turnpike users due to its cost efficiency.
  3. If a vehicle lacks an E-ZPass transponder, high-definition cameras on the gantries capture the license plate information. The system then checks if the license plate is linked to an E-ZPass account. If so, toll charges are deducted accordingly. Otherwise, a Toll By Plate invoice, with higher processing costs, is sent to the vehicle’s owner.
  4. All data collected at the gantries is securely transmitted via a fiber optic network to the Turnpike’s Customer Service Center in Harrisburg for validation, processing, and payment.
  5. The ORT system is anticipated to provide environmental benefits, enhance safety for Turnpike staff and drivers, and save the PTC approximately $25 million annually, according to Turnpike officials.

For more information on how the ORT system operates, please view the accompanying video.