The new cashless tolls system uses overhead cameras and sensors that snap photos of license plates so drivers using the 570-mile superhighway can be billed by mail. The system consists of 71 gantries spread across New York State. That means drivers no longer have the option of paying cash at the toll booths that have lined Thruway exits since it opened in 1954. E-ZPass users, meanwhile, will continue having the tolls automatically deducted from their accounts.
The $355 million project featured steel gantries with state-of-the-art technology have been installed along the Thruway to replace the old toll booths where cash tolls were collected. The new gantries are located over the Thruway or on exit ramps, depending on traffic volumes, safety, and other factors.
"The completion of this exciting new project will help Thruway travelers save time, as well as reduce traffic, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality all along the system," Gov. Cuomo
The schedule on the project was almost unbelievable. Construction began in the fall of 2019, and all gantries and toll systems were fully operational by November 2020. The final phase of removing the old toll plazas will take place in 2021.
The Thruway Authority of NY took the initiative to modernize its antiquated tolling system. The project was designed to have over-the-road structures which would house cameras to track a vehicle’s path from the time the vehicle enters the thruway, to the time the vehicle exits. This 1,750-ton project was constructed of all galvanized steel. Galvanized steel was chosen as per the NY Thruway Authority’s specification, which calls for structures of this nature to be galvanized due to the coating’s performance and sustainability.
