A Traffic Technology Today feature article takes a comprehensive look at the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s transition to an open-road tolling system, the first phase of which will go live in January. The report suggests the transformation process merits attention because, “[w]hen it comes to deploying tolling technology, few roads in the world have more experience than America’s ‘first superhighway.’”
The visible part of the conversion process involves the elimination of tollbooth plazas — demolition contract procurement will begin soon — and the systemwide introduction of gantry-mounted, all-electronic tolling technology. These infrastructure and technology developments enable the turnpike commission (PTC) to introduce two significant improvements in pricing:
- Standard per-mile rates — seven cents in the case of passenger vehicles — will be introduced for the first time and tolls will be based on actual miles traveled by each driver, making the rate structure “more akin to nascent distance-based road user charging.”
- PTC will “move away from its current weight-based classification system to a new system based on vehicle height and number of axles,” which will bring it into conformance with all other US tolling systems.
Based on its extensive studies and pilot projects, PTC confidently expects open-road tolling to provide important benefits for customers: added safety from the elimination of entry and exit barriers; less congestion and freer traffic flow; accurate, equitable toll charges; and reduced emissions from idling vehicles.
Commenting on the significance of the transformation project, PTC chief engineer Brad Heigel observes, “When we opened as America’s first superhighway, we set the national standards for interstate highway design and engineering. Open road tolling continues that legacy.”
Full text and audio versions of the article were published in the “Traffic Technology International” September 2024 digital edition.