Turnpike toll changes favor E-ZPass, eliminates tolls at some western, eastern plazas

Eric Marotta, Akron Beacon Journal
Updated ·6 min read

Motorists on the Ohio Turnpike will see some big changes in coming months when a new toll collection system goes into service, including four new or refurbished toll plazas and license-plate reader technology.

The number of plazas where tolls will be charged is also being reduced, as tolls will be eliminated at nine plazas at either end of a more compact "Mainline" system. On the Mainline, tolls will be collected as usual between new plazas in Swanton in Lucas County and Newton Falls in Trumbull County. In all, the number of toll plazas is being reduced from 31 to 24.

Things will also be more convenient for E-ZPass holders, whether traveling in-state or passing all the way through. Those entering or leaving the Mainline system or toll plazas on the state's borders will have dedicated high-speed lanes so they won't have to slow down.

Also, bars at E-ZPass exit gates across the system will be fixed in the upright position and license plate readers will be in place to catch cheaters who try to exit without paying. Toll bills will then be sent to the vehicle's registered owner.

The new system is scheduled to go online in the late fall.

This diagram shows the modernized Ohio Turnpike Toll Collection System. Gates where no toll will be charged are designated in red.
This diagram shows the modernized Ohio Turnpike Toll Collection System. Gates where no toll will be charged are designated in red.

New, refurbished gateways

Four miles from the Indiana border, the new Westgate Toll Plaza will stretch across the entire breadth of the Turnpike when it is completed this month. Drivers heading in either direction will pay a flat-rate cash toll of $3. Motorists with E-ZPass will pay $2 and will be able to use two high-speed lanes to go through the checkpoint without slowing down.

A second new toll plaza at Mile 49 in Swanton in Lucas County will serve as the western end of the Turnpike's Mainline, over which fares will be collected as usual. The Swanton Plaza was built in 2021. It will also stretch across the highway and also have two dedicated high-speed E-ZPass lanes.

The Newton Falls Toll Plaza at Mile 211 in Trumbull County is being completed. It is expected to be activated in the late fall, along with other aspects of the Ohio Turnpike's new toll collection system.
The Newton Falls Toll Plaza at Mile 211 in Trumbull County is being completed. It is expected to be activated in the late fall, along with other aspects of the Ohio Turnpike's new toll collection system.

The eastern end of the Mainline will be at a third new toll plaza at Mile 211 in Newton Falls, set for completion this month. The Eastgate Toll Plaza at Mile 239 near the Pennsylvania border is being renovated, with completion planned for next spring.

Like the new plazas at the Turnpike's west end, the Newton Falls and Eastgate plazas will have high-speed E-Z-Pass lanes, meaning drivers can potentially drive 241 miles across the entire state without slowing down.

Unlike the Westgate Plaza, only incoming traffic will be charged tolls at the Pennsylvania border. The Eastgate Plaza toll will be $4 cash or $2.75 for E-Z Pass holders entering the state. There will be no toll for those heading east into Pennsylvania.

Turnpike officials said that due to the high volume of daily traffic to and from Pennsylvania and since the Pennsylvania Turnpike doesn't charge drivers leaving the state, the Ohio Turnpike Commission decided to reciprocate by eliminating eastbound tolls at the Eastgate Plaza as a fair way to treat customers.

The construction of Swanton Toll Plaza at mile 49 in Lucas County was completed in 2021 and is currently undergoing testing. Two high-speed E-ZPass lanes in either direction are located in the center of the plaza, as pictured in this artist's rendering.
The construction of Swanton Toll Plaza at mile 49 in Lucas County was completed in 2021 and is currently undergoing testing. Two high-speed E-ZPass lanes in either direction are located in the center of the plaza, as pictured in this artist's rendering.

Tolls eliminated at some plazas

Turnpike officials say the cost of collecting tolls at a total of nine plazas at either end of the highway is expected to exceed the cost of revenue they generate.

Therefore, tolls will no longer be charged for traffic entering and exiting the four plazas between Westgate and Swanton, or at the five toll plazas between Eastgate and Newton Falls.

On the west end, drivers who enter at any of the four free plazas will still be charged a toll if they go west through the Westgate Plaza, or if they head east onto the Mainline system and pick up a ticket at Swanton.

On the east end, traffic entering from the five free plazas and heading east won't have to pay until they get to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The current fare for eastbound drivers entering the Turnpike from Interstate 76 at the Niles-Youngstown Plaza is $2 cash, or $1 E-ZPass. The fare is 25 cents more from Lordstown to Eastgate.

By the end of the year, the Ohio Turnpike will have two dedicated high-speed lanes in both directions that will allow E-ZPass holders to drive across the entire state without slowing down at four main toll plazas, as pictured here in this artist's rendering.
By the end of the year, the Ohio Turnpike will have two dedicated high-speed lanes in both directions that will allow E-ZPass holders to drive across the entire state without slowing down at four main toll plazas, as pictured here in this artist's rendering.

Entrance gates being removed at toll plazas

On the Mainline section of the turnpike, a 162-mile stretch from Swanton to Newton Falls, as well as the Eastgate and Westgate plazas, gates that lift and drop to regulate traffic will be removed at toll plaza entrances. Drivers in cash/credit lanes will have to slow down to collect their tickets, or pay tolls at Eastgate and Westgate. E-ZPass drivers will have to slow to 10 mph to proceed through the narrow gate.

License plate readers will be in place to detect drivers without E-ZPass transponders who drive through without paying. Vehicle owners will be billed the unpaid toll by mail. Under a new state law, motorists will be required to pay their delinquent tolls before they can register their vehicle.

Drivers taking the entire route from Swanton to Newton Falls or the reverse will pay $18.25 cash, or $12.25 if they have E-ZPass.

Automatic Toll Payment Machines (ATPMs), which accept cash and credit cards, will be available at all 20 toll plaza interchanges as well as the four mainline toll plazas when the toll collection system is completed.

Modernized system replaces 2009 infrastructure

Turnpike officials said the current toll collection system, which dates to 2009, was nearing the end of its useful life when the agency began looking into a replacement.

The agency agreed to adopt a new plan by resolution in 2017, following the results of a survey of more than 14,000 people. The Turnpike Commission opted against installing a fully automated system where drivers simply cruise along the highway and license plate readers automatically calculate tolls.

At the Turnpike Commission's December, 2017 meeting, where the basic aspects of the new system were outlined, it was reported that there would be some job losses, but they were expected to come through attrition, as employees retire or move elsewhere.

Turnpike spokesman Charles Cyrill said the Turnpike currently employs about 280 full- and part-time toll collectors and said that while the new plazas will have automated lanes for cash/credit payers, there will still be a need for attendants there and in customer service roles.

The Ohio Turnpike will continue to staff and operate its in-house E-ZPass Ohio Customer Service Center and plans to add staff to handle calls related to unpaid toll processing.

The Turnpike Commission estimates the new system will save approximately $257 million in operating costs over 30 years because of the reduction in the number of Toll Plazas from 31 to 24, the elimination of toll gates on entry and a projected increase in E-ZPass usage. The cost savings also reflect lower utility and maintenance costs at the nine reconfigured plazas that will no longer collect tolls.

The total project cost currently stands at around $270 million.

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fewer gates, better E-ZPass access planned for Ohio Turnpike in fall