PANYNJ introduces new stat-of-the-art cashless tolling system at Holland Tunnel
The Holland Tunnel is the first of the agency’s three Hudson River crossings to completely modernize its tolling infrastructure to 21st-century standards following Port Authority Board authorization of the project in July 2019.
The agency completed the transition to all-electronic tolling at the three Staten Island bridges last year. Toll systems at the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel are scheduled to be upgraded to the new modern system within the next 18 months.
“Our customers deserve the world-class service and best-in-class technology which this new upgraded tolling system offers,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “With the full implementation of this 21st century technology at our Staten Island crossings and now at the Holland Tunnel, the Port Authority continues to move the region faster, safer, and more efficiently.”
“Contactless, cashless toll collection is the future at all of our crossings,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “This new toll collection system upgrades the Holland Tunnel with the most up-to-date cashless technology which will be more resilient and provide the agency faster processing times.”
Cash toll collection at the Holland Tunnel was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The transition on December 23 to the state-of-the-art all-electronic tolling technology will not impact drivers at the tunnel.
Over the next 18 months, all three river crossings will switch to a new state-of-the-art electronic tolling system used by modern highway networks around the world. The new system, known as all-electronic tolling (AET), uses overhead gantries in place of toll lanes with E-ZPass transponders and toll booths that require attendants.
The Holland is the first Hudson crossing to activate the technology, to be followed by the Lincoln Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge. Once completed, all six Port Authority bridges and tunnels will be equipped with the modern tolling system. AET already is in use at the Outerbridge Crossing, Bayonne Bridge and Goethals Bridge, where it has helped reduce crashes since implementation in 2019. Vehicle crashes at the Hudson River toll plazas are expected to decline by 75 percent once AET is fully implemented.
For Holland Tunnel motorists without E-ZPass tags, the change will come in the mail and customer service. Since mid-March, when Port Authority removed attendants from toll booths due to public health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, toll information was collected electronically by cameras and drivers were sent their toll bills by mail.
Toll bills will still arrive by mail, but with greater accuracy and improved customer service for transaction resolution. Additionally, a newly launched Tolls NY smartphone app (for iOS and Android users) provides easy and 24/7 access to customer service for all cashless toll transactions, eliminating the need to wait for bills in order to pay or access to toll and payment history.
Motorists are encouraged to sign up for E-ZPass as the Hudson River crossings continue upgrades to this new tolling system. E-ZPass accounts are easy to open online at E-ZPassNY.com or by calling the E-ZPass New York Customer Service Center at 1-800-333-TOLL (8655). E-ZPass remains the most convenient way for customers to pay tolls and provides a discount over the Toll-by-Mail toll rate. Due to the impracticality of continuing the carpool discount plan with cashless tolling, the plan, which had been suspended in March along with cash toll collection, will end at the Holland Tunnel. Drivers without an E-ZPass account will have images of their license plate captured by overhead cameras, and a bill for the toll amount will then be sent by mail. Additionally, a newly launched Tolls NY smartphone app (for iOS and Android users) provides easy, 24/7 access to customer service for all cashless toll transactions and will eliminate the need to wait for bills in order to pay or access toll and payment history.
The Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners approved the new cashless tolling system for the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln and Holland tunnels in 2019. The Port Authority first implemented the new system at the Bayonne Bridge in February 2017, the Outerbridge Crossing in April 2019, and the Goethals Bridge in September 2019.
Two massive gantries housing the technology for the new toll system, each 130 feet long and weighing about 41,000 pounds, were installed over the summer about 22 feet above the roadway just ahead of the eastbound Holland Tunnel entrance (click here to watch the gantry installation). For pedestrians in Jersey City, roadway improvements and upgraded intersections will improve street-level safety.
