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The New York State Thruway Authority announced that the toll plazas on I-95 in New Rochelle and I-87 in Spring Valley will soon be outfitted with cashless tolling technology. Motorists will no longer have to wait at the gate to pay or scan their E-Z Pass.
Sensors will read the car’s EZ-Pass or a photo will be taken and sent to the driver with a bill for those without the pass.
The existing New Rochelle toll plaza will be removed in phases once cashless tolling is fully operational. Through the winter, drivers will continue to travel through existing toll lanes at reduced speeds without stopping until the booths are removed and the road reconfiguration is completed. The posted speed limit will be 20 mph.
When cashless tolling goes live at the Spring Valley Toll Barrier, commercial traffic without an E-ZPass tag will no longer have to exit to pay a toll. Barriers will be installed to block access to the former toll plaza until it’s removed.
Crews are expected to install the new system in both locations overnight on Wednesday, Dec. 19, into the following day. The transition is expected to be completed no later than Friday, Dec. 21. Traffic patterns are also expected to be impacted around the plazas.
Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll said, “the conversion of the final two barriers mark a significant milestone as the implementation of cashless tolling continues on the NYS Thruway system-wide by the end of 2020. As this historic transition progresses, we urge motorists to sign up for E-ZPass, the most convenient and cost-effective way to pay tolls along the Thruway and across the state.”
According to the Thruway Authority, cashless tolling will be fully implemented at all seven of the Thruway’s fixed-price barriers by the end of 2018. In addition to the New Rochelle and Spring Valley Toll Barriers, the Thruway Authority’s other cashless tolling barriers include the new Tappan Zee Bridge, North and South Grand Island Bridges (I-190), Harriman Toll Barrier (I-87), and Yonkers Toll Barrier (I-87).
I’m thrilled to see cashless tolls coming to Interstate 95 in New Rochelle. This is certainly a welcome holiday gift, as this was a measure that I long pushed for when I was a New York State Assemblyman and State Senator. The New Rochelle tolls, will join Yonkers’ tolls, utilizing sensors overhead that read a car's E-Z Pass. The cashless system is easy and modern and keeps traffic moving – all positives," Westchester County Executive George Latimer said in a statement.
"This will relieve nearby residents of New Rochelle, Larchmont and Mamaroneck of the traffic back up at the tollbooths that generate air pollution for those living alongside I-95. It will finally eliminate the overflow traffic that clogs nearby streets whenever drivers leave I-95 seeking an alternate route. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the cashless system next time I’m on 95.”
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