A rendering of the gantry currently being installed over the southbound Thruway in South Nyack.
As travelers approach the Tappan Zee Bridge from Rockland County, they will soon get a glimpse of the future: An overhead gantry and related equipment is being installed at exit 10 on the southbound New York State Thruway in South Nyack for a temporary all-electronic toll collection (AETC) facility. Following a series of tests this fall, the system will be activated in spring 2016, enabling motorists to pay their toll while maintaining highway speeds. Like the Model-T and the 8-track tape player, the inconvenience of stopping or slowing down to pay a toll soon will be a thing of the past.
During the testing period, drivers will continue to use the Tarrytown toll plaza and will not be affected by the gantry.
The temporary gantry will facilitate the transition from the existing toll plaza, where drivers stop and pay with cash or slow down to pay with E-ZPass, to the new, state-of-the-art AETC system, which will collect tolls at highway speeds via E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail. The highly-sophisticated system detects which classes of vehicles are traveling and applies the correct toll for passenger vehicles, commercial trucks, buses and motorcycles.
As many drivers know, E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system that removes cash, coins and toll tickets from the process. Drivers establish a pre-paid account, attach the E-ZPass device inside their windshield and tolls are automatically deducted when their vehicle passes through the toll facility. E-ZPass is accepted in 15 states across the Northeast and Midwest.
Tolls by Mail is for drivers who do not yet have an E-ZPass. If no E-ZPass is detected on a passing vehicle, the AETC system will take a photo of the license plate and send a monthly toll bill to the vehicle’s registered owner through the U.S. Mail. To benefit from the cutting edge technology, the New York State Thruway Authority encourages all drivers to obtain an E-ZPass. Customers can sign up at E-ZPassNY.com, at E-ZPass customer service centers or the New NY Bridge Outreach Centers in Tarrytown and Nyack.
Transportation authorities and private toll facility operators are increasingly turning to AETC to reduce congestion, improve safety and reduce air pollution. More than 35 bridges, tunnels and toll roads across the nation are now using AETC, including the nearby Henry Hudson Bridge between the Bronx and Manhattan and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The New NY Bridge project is among at least 13 additional facilities nationwide that will implement AETC in the future.
As many Tappan Zee Bridge travelers know, the existing toll plaza is often congested during peak travel periods. By contrast, the AETC system promises to significantly improve traffic flow by collecting tolls at highway speeds. In addition, the new system will improve local air quality because vehicles no longer will idle in lengthy toll-collection lines.
What’s more, all-electronic tolling will enhance safety. Traditional toll plazas experience higher-than-average numbers of crashes because motorists often change lanes abruptly as they seek the shortest queue and because they are traveling at varying speeds. As an example of how AETC improves safety, the Florida Turnpike experienced a 37 percent decline in accidents during the first year after removing toll plazas at one location in 2011. Beyond the risks and expenses that toll-plaza crashes impose on individual travelers, they inflict additional congestion burdens on all travelers.
The New NY Bridge project will continue providing updates and informational materials on the temporary tolling facility as testing begins later this year. Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly updates via email.
