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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday, March 1 that the Mid-Hudson Bridge connecting Highland in Ulster County and Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County has become the latest in the region to go cashless.
Motorists will no longer have to wait at the gate to pay or scan their E-Z Pass. Instead, 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.
“When the Mid-Hudson Bridge opened in 1930, then-Governor Franklin Roosevelt extolled the economic and social benefits that this bridge and others like it would bring to the Hudson Valley and the rest of New York State," Hochul announced.
"Today, much like during FDR's time, New York is making critical investments to strengthen our infrastructure network for the needs of the 21st century, including the implementation of cashless tolling.”
Officials made note that the overhead gantry with the cashless tolling equipment was constructed on the west approach to the bridge. Tolls will only be collected from eastbound travelers.
The current toll booths are scheduled to be removed immediately, and motorists traveling through the area during demolition will be detoured to the current toll plaza.
“Since its opening in 1930, the Mid-Hudson Bridge has been a vital connector for Ulster and Dutchess Counties and one of New York State's most beautiful bridges,” Minorca Alcantara, the Executive Director of the New York Bridge Authority said.
“Nearly a century later, we enter an exciting new chapter for this iconic span, the Bridge Authority, and the entire region that we serve. Cashless tolling is bridging the Hudson Valley and improving travel for all.”
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