BEREA, Ohio — Changes to the Ohio Turnpike were supposed to make life easier. In April, the turnpike began implementing its new toll collection system after years of planning at a cost of nearly $250 million dollars.
The highlights included four "mainline toll plazas" across the state. One of them is located in Northeast Ohio.
Plaza 211, just outside Newton Falls in Trumbull County, began construction in 2021.
"People want to go without stopping at gates," said Ferzan Ahmed, the executive director of the Ohio Turnpike, when explaining why the new changes were made in an exclusive sit down with 3News investigative reporter Peter Fleischer.
The Turnpike handles about 140,000 drivers per day and that can lead to some major congestion. The new toll plazas were meant to cut down on traffic delays. Drivers with cash or card pull to a side booth, while cars with E-Z Pass coast through plazas as intended.
But there have been some bumps in the road.
3News spent an afternoon at the toll plaza in Trumbull County. Fleischer didn't see any long, backed up lines at toll booths.
But the larger problem with the new system seems to be the thousands of cars that are cruising by the place they're supposed to be paying.
"I'm not blaming the customers,” Ahmed said. “I'm just pointing out the fact that they're not using it the way the system was designed."
Data provided by the Ohio Turnpike shows that more than 4 million drivers used the new Trumbull County plaza from April to August.
More than 152,000 customers drove through without paying at all, resulting in a toll not being paid or a turnpike ticket not being taken. So why are that many drivers blowing through the new plaza without paying?
“There are signs going back to two miles,” Ahmed pointed out, detailing the Turnpike’s warnings for drivers. “Two miles out, one mile out, a half a mile out."
The issues don't stop there.
Turnpike data also reveals the Trumbull County Plaza failed to detect the E-Z pass of more than 267,000 drivers.
"I totally understand that right now, many of those same customers are not having a good experience with us,” Ahmed admitted. “Bear with us."
Dispute claims have skyrocketed since the new system opened.
Turnpike calls logs reveal just how flooded their phone lines have been. Calls were up 156% in July of 2024, compared to the same month in 2023.
Wait times are up too. On average: 10 minutes, 34 seconds this July, compared to 6 minutes,11 seconds during July of 2023.
While acknowledging that many customers are calling in about incorrect invoices or confusion about how to operate under the new system, Turnpike leadership also points to a nationwide texting scam that has plagued turnpike customers.
The scam has also impacted other public agencies across the country. Turnpike customers have been receiving texts requesting payment for unpaid tolls, something Turnpike employees will never do.
The agency has responded to frustrations about their customer service experience, increasing communication about the scam to spread awareness while hiring more customer service reps to handle the larger volume.
"The average wait time has gone down,” Ahmed pointed out. “Depending on the time of day, some people still have to wait a long time."
But what happened on August 15 outside Toledo, is of far greater concern
"That day was one of the worst tragedies we've seen at the Ohio Turnpike," Ahmed admits solemnly.
A series of deadly crashes near one of the new toll plazas killed four people and injured 10 more. The cause is still under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and National Transportation Safety Board.
Hundreds of thousands of drivers have missed or improperly used that plaza as well, but it’s unclear if the Turnpike or its new plaza system carry any fault.
"I am confident the turnpike is operating in a safe manner," Ahmed said. "Until we have those reports with us, we won't know the exact cause of the crash. And we won't know if there's anything we need to do to change anything."
Changes to the Turnpike system have been years in the making, with initial plans beginning in 2017.
"It takes time for people to adjust to something new," Ahmed admitted. "We will take care of you. We will be back to being the turnpike that you've always spoke very highly about."
Due to the customer service issues and confusion about the new changes, the Ohio Turnpike has waived all late fees for the foreseeable future. While that move is not permanent, they are trying to accommodate drivers who could have been improperly billed or did not understand how to use the new system.
Previous Reporting:
- Ohio Turnpike: Late fees, collections suspended for those who received invoices
- Timeline of Ohio Turnpike fatal crashes: Arrest made, Lucas County Coroner identifies 3 victims
- Ohio Turnpike, FBI warn people of text scam after Ohio launches new E-ZPass toll collection system: VERIFY
- Ohio Turnpike begins new toll collection system: Here are the changes you need to know