Get ready for a new tolling method on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 2027.
Beginning Jan. 3, 2027, open-road tolling will be the standard tolling system across Pennsylvania when the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission launches it from Reading to the Ohio line. If you’re a frequent traveler or driver, you’ve likely encountered it on the eastern side of the state or somewhere else in the country.
“We will no longer be tolling you at the interchanges. But we’ll be tolling you through high-speed gantries that are between the interchanges,” Mark Compton, CEO of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, said. Pennsylvania Turnpike to use open-road tolling in 2027
(Photo Credit: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)
Gantries are overhead structures that drivers travel through as they get charged electronically for a toll while still going highway speeds and not having to slow down or stop. The way it works is that there’s equipment on the gantries that scans E-ZPasses or license plates, with invoices then sent by mail.
There’s even a backup power system to make sure they continue to operate during a power outage.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said the sites for the tolls are chosen based on roadway geometry, availability of utilities, location of existing interchanges and availability of right-of-way.
Eventually, once all are running statewide, crews will work to remove toll booths from the western side of the Turnpike by the end of 2028.
To prepare for the conversion, the Turnpike encourages you to double-check that you’ve mounted your E-ZPass properly and your accounts are updated, though charges can be disputed.
Overall, the hope is that open-road tolling will provide more efficiency on the roads, with a system that’s sustainable in the long term.
“To give you a much safer and more seamless way of travel through the interchanges,” Compton said.