CLEVELAND — The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission announced Friday that it will gradually phase in its new toll collection system over the next several weeks.
Turnpike officials said in a news release that the move to the new system has been in the works since 2016 and is "nearing the final stages of completion." Officials said it is the Ohio Turnpike's largest construction project since it was completed in 1955.
Changes include removing E-ZPass entry and exit gates at 20 toll plazas and replacing them with electronic sensors, removing tolls at several plazas and opening three new plazas.
Here is a detailed look at the new system:
E-Z pass gates removed at toll plazas
The first phase of the project permanently opened the entry gates in all EZ-Pass toll booth lanes at 20 interchanges spanning from the Toledo Airport-Swanton toll plaza in Lucas County to the Warren plaza in Trumbull County.
127 lanes at the interchanges were outfitted with new electric sensors and equipment to read EZ-Pass transponders and classify vehicles by height and number of axles.
The changes will be marked with new signage in the toll booth lanes.
The Turnpike installed automated payment machines at 20 interchanges and the four mainline toll plazas. The machines accept cash and credit cards.
"When the new system goes live, following the completion of testing, the exit gates in all dedicated E-ZPass lanes from Toll Plaza 52 to Toll Plaza 209 will be opened," the turnpike commission said in a release. "When driving through the toll booth lanes, even though the gates are up, motorists are reminded to always follow the posted 10 mph speed limit for their safety, the safety of other motorists, as well as the safety of Ohio Turnpike staff."
Tolls removed at 9 plazas
Nine interchanges will stop collecting tolls. Cash customers at these plazas will no longer have to stop and take a ticket or pay, and E-ZPass transponders will not be read.
Overhead signs at the interchanges will read, "NO TOLL, KEEP MOVING."
The changes will be rolled out at the following plazas:
- Toll Plaza 13 (Bryan-Montpelier), Williams County
- Toll Plaza 25 (Archbold-Fayette), Fulton County
- Toll Plaza 34 (Wauseon), Fulton County
- Toll Plaza 39 (Delta-Lyons), Fulton County
- Toll Plaza 215 (Lordstown-West), Trumbull County
- Toll Plaza 216 (Lordstown-East), Trumbull County
- Toll Plaza 218 (Niles-Youngstown), Mahoning County
- Toll Plaza 232 (Youngstown), Mahoning County
- Toll Plaza 234 (Youngstown-Poland), Mahoning County
New plaza in Williams County
Under the new system, the current Westgate Toll Plaza at milepost 2 in Williams County will close to make way for a new plaza at milepost 4, near the border between Ohio and Indiana.
"New flat rate tolls will be assessed for both E-ZPass and cash customers traveling in both eastbound and westbound directions through the new mainline toll plaza," the Turnpike says.
EZ-Pass customers can drive through the dedicated open road lanes at highway speeds without stopping, while non-E-ZPass customers will have to stop at the cash lanes on the right side of the plaza.
No tolls for eastbound drivers at Eastgate plaza in Mahoning County
The renovated Eastgate Toll Plaza at milepost 239 near Ohio's border with Pennsylvania will become a "one-direction, flat-rate toll plaza," the Turnpike says.
Customers traveling eastbound will not be charged a toll at the interchange, while westbound drivers will see new flat rate rolls.
2 new open road plazas
Tolling plazas will be opened in two new locations: The Swanton Toll Plaza at milepost 49 in Lucas County and Trumbull County's Newton Falls plaza at milepost 211. The plazas will mark the new ends of the ticketed toll system.
E-ZPass customers will be able to continue in both directions without stopping. Customers without an E-ZPass will be required to stop.
Additional toll schedules, but no overall rate change
The Turnpike says in order to account for the new changes, additional toll schedules will go into effect. The overall toll rate per mile traveled "will not change at this time," officials said.
Rates increased for vehicles longer than 90 feet
Drivers of long combination vehicles (LCVs) more than 90 feet in length will see a new Class 8 toll schedule, replacing the current flat fee of $12 per trip.
The toll schedule can be viewed below.
Cameras will snap license plates
Non-E-ZPass customers will have their license plates read by new cameras and have invoices sent to them in the mail. Customers will have 25 days to pay the toll, with an additional $5 charge per unpaid toll if payment is not received within 30 days.
Customers who have not paid their toll after 90 days will be sent to collections and have their vehicle registration blocked by the Ohio BMV. They will not be able to register any new vehicles or renew their license plates until the toll is paid.