Turnpike changes mean fewer stops

GROTON TWP. — Motorists using the Ohio Turnpike will have to slow down or stop less frequently once a new tolling system is completed in the coming weeks. The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission's new toll collection system will be phased in over the next several weeks along all 241 miles of the toll road, which includes portions of interstates 76, 80 and 90. "The new toll collection system and the technology behind it are a big step forward in safety, efficiency and convenience for the Ohio Turnpike's passenger car and commercial truck customers to reach east and west destinations along the northern corridor of Ohio and beyond," according to a commission statement. The new toll collection system has a combination of open road tolling lanes for E-ZPass customers who can pay their tolls electronically at highway speeds and a gated exit system for non-E-ZPass customers paying with cash or credit cards. E-Z Pass use by Ohio Turnpike passenger vehicles and commercial trucks was 74.1% in 2023, up nearly 1% from 2022. It's also a cheaper option: Having an E-ZPass saves Class 1 drivers, or those in passenger vehicles, 33% on tolls as opposed to those paying cash or using a credit card, commission spokesman Charles Cyrill said. Starting soon, the entry gates in all E-ZPass toll booth lanes at 20 interchanges from Plaza 52 in Lucas County to Plaza 209 in Trumbull County will be permanently open. New equipment will sense E-ZPass transponders and classify vehicles by their number of axles and height. Automated toll payment machines, which accept cash and credit cards, were installed at all 20 of those toll plaza interchanges and at four mainline toll plazas, Cyrill said. "We will be able to accommodate both our customers who have E-ZPass as well as customers who prefer to pay by cash or credit card," he said. Motorists are reminded to follow all posted speed limits for their safety and that of others on the road. In addition, nine toll plazas have been turned into non-tolled plazas with no staff on site, no toll collection with no stops for tickets or payment, and E-ZPass transponders won't be read there. Overhead signs will tell motorists: "no toll, keep moving." A new Westgate Toll Plaza will open at milepost 4 in Williams County in northwestern Ohio near the Ohio-Indiana border. New flat-rate tolls will be assessed for both E-ZPass and cash customers traveling in eastbound and westbound directions through the new mainline toll plaza. E-ZPass customers can travel nonstop at highway speeds on the dedicated open road tolling lanes. Customers without E-ZPass will be required to drive through the cash lanes on the right side of the plaza, stop, and pay their toll. The Eastgate Toll Plaza at milepost 239 in Mahoning County near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border will become a one-direction, flat-rate toll plaza. Eastbound motorists will not be charged a toll there. New flat-rate tolls will be assessed for both E-ZPass and cash/credit card customers traveling westbound through that renovated toll plaza. Other features of the updated system: • Two new plazas, Swanton Toll Plaza in Lucas County and Newton Falls Toll Plaza in Trumbull County, will open as part of the new system. The two plazas will be the new ends of the ticketed toll system. • Additional toll schedules will go into effect to account for the change in the number of toll plazas from 24 to 31. The new tolling points will be on the mainline at Swanton and Newton Falls toll plazas. And the flat rate tolls will be at Eastgate and Westgate toll plazas. • The overall toll rate per mile traveled will not change. Customers can go online to ohioturnpike.org/e-zpass/toll-rates to access the turnpike's fare calculator. • Cameras to read license plates will be used to identify customers who travel through an E-ZPass-only lane when a valid E-ZPass transponder is not detected. • E-ZPass customers who have listed their license plate on a valid E-ZPass account will have their toll charged to their E-ZPass account at the new V-Toll rate, which is higher than the E-ZPass rate. All other customers will receive an invoice in the mail for the new unpaid toll rate. Non-E-ZPass customers who mistakenly travel through an E-ZPass lane can pay their toll online. Customers will have 25 days to pay their toll. If payment is not received within 30 days, then a second invoice will be mailed with an additional $5 charge per unpaid toll. After 90 days, the unpaid toll will be sent to collections and vehicle registrations at the Ohio Bureua of Motor Vehicles blocked, so customers with unpaid tolls will not be permitted to register vehicles or renew license plates until their past due tolls are paid.