If you’re heading west of Berks County on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, you’re going to notice some changes.
Installation of equipment for the open-road tolling system has been completed at milepost 276.2 between the Reading and Lebanon-Lancaster interchanges, turnpike officials said.
Workers install equipment for the open-road tolling system on the Pennsylvania Turnpike west of Berks County at milepost 276.2 between the Reading and Lebanon-Lancaster interchanges. (Courtesy of Pennsylvania Turnpike)
And, the equipment is being installed at milepost 250.3 between the Lebanon-Lancaster and Harrisburg East interchanges.
Installation of the equipment will continue westward on the turnpike to the Ohio border during the next year, but the equipment will not be active until open-road tolling launches on the central and western stretch of the turnpike in 2027, officials said.
“We are excited to continue our preparations for 2027’s systemwide launch of open-road tolling,” Mark Compton, turnpike CEO, said in a release. “As we continue to evolve and modernize our operations to match customer preference, we look forward to bringing the future of toll collection across our entire system, ensuring a safer and more efficient experience.”
The switch to open-road tolling east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension began in January.
In the open-road system, tolls are charged electronically as motorists drive at highway speeds without slowing down or stopping. Toll plazas have been replaced by overhead structures — called gantries — located between interchanges on the highway. As drivers pass beneath the structures, equipment on the gantry and in the road processes E-ZPass or toll-by-plate transactions, they said.
This system reduces confusion and lane switching associated with traditional stop-and-go tolling, they said.
Officials said properly mounting your E-ZPass and maintaining updated accounts is important because transponders are read more often and at highway speeds.
Charges can be disputed, officials said, but motorists who don’t follow the required steps may receive a toll-by-plate invoice billed at a higher rate.
Where the open-road system is in use, toll booths will be removed and interchanges reconfigured to support safer travel, officials said. Toll booth removal eliminates obstacles, increases sight lines for drivers and reduces stress and distractions when entering and exiting the system.
Demolition of the Morgantown toll plaza began in September and is expected to be completed in 2026.
Officials said open-road tolling will result in a $25 million yearly savings in interchange maintenance and operations costs and $50 million in yearly operational savings versus traditional collection methods.