The New York State Thruway Authority has hired a company to install electronic, or “cashless,” tolls on the Tappan Zee Bridge by next year, according to multiple reports.
Electronic tolls aim to improve traffic flow ”“ commuters don”™t have to stop at the toll but will be charged by E-ZPass or, if they do not have E-ZPass, a camera photographs their plate and bills the owner of the vehicle. The in-construction, $3.9 billion Tappan Zee replacement also is planned to have a cashless toll.
The Journal News reported the Thruway Authority is paying $29 million to Kapsch TrafficCom ICHS Inc. for toll technology at several locations on the thruway system. The newspaper noted that the cashless toll on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City has resulted in an increased number of scofflaws.
The Thruway Authority also is planning to eventually convert the Yonkers toll on Interstate 87 to a cashless system.
