Ohio Turnpike News

[Bitmapped]

What is the logic of making the western portion free (other than the state line extortion toll)?  I can understand around Youngstown, but not the rural area west of Toledo.

The Turnpike is following the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike which IIRC made their western portions free (although the Mass Pike added them back).

I presume the PA Turnpike did that because it's the Pittsburgh metro, which seems similar to the Youngstown situation.  The MassPike was briefly free west of exit 6 because the people in the western part of the state complained about tolls paying for the Big Dig.  Does a similar type of complaint exist in western Ohio?

The free part of the PA Turnpike is not Pittsburgh metro. Pittsburgh metro area is Cranberry exit (I-79/US 19) to Irwin (US 30). PTC made this section free because there was relatively little traffic traveling between the interchanges in the free section, meaning lost revenue was minimal, and there was no practical way to keep a toll plaza in the middle of the Cranberry interchange as they reconfigured it to also serve I-79.

Ohio Turnpike is doing its toll-free zones for a similar reason: A relatively low amount of traffic between the interchanges in the free zones mean revenue loss will be minimal and not having to operate these toll plazas will save money.

[thenetwork]

What is the logic of making the western portion free (other than the state line extortion toll)?  I can understand around Youngstown, but not the rural area west of Toledo.

The Turnpike is following the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike which IIRC made their western portions free (although the Mass Pike added them back).

I presume the PA Turnpike did that because it's the Pittsburgh metro, which seems similar to the Youngstown situation.  The MassPike was briefly free west of exit 6 because the people in the western part of the state complained about tolls paying for the Big Dig.  Does a similar type of complaint exist in western Ohio?

The free part of the PA Turnpike is not Pittsburgh metro. Pittsburgh metro area is Cranberry exit (I-79/US 19) to Irwin (US 30). PTC made this section free because there was relatively little traffic traveling between the interchanges in the free section, meaning lost revenue was minimal, and there was no practical way to keep a toll plaza in the middle of the Cranberry interchange as they reconfigured it to also serve I-79.

Not to mention that the PA Turnpike can still get at your wallet in the western Free Zone if you exit the Turnpike at I-376 and go north or south to either New Castle or the airport, accordingly.

[thenetwork]

Sounds like the Turnpike will flip the switch to the new tolling system (and the new "free" sections on each end) next week, right after.the Thanksgivine Weekend rush:

https://fox8.com/news/new-turnpike-tolling-system-to-launch-after-busy-thanksgiving-travel-period/

[PurdueBill]

Sounds like the Turnpike will flip the switch to the new tolling system (and the new "free" sections on each end) next week, right after.the Thanksgivine Weekend rush:

https://fox8.com/news/new-turnpike-tolling-system-to-launch-after-busy-thanksgiving-travel-period/

After you posted (the next day), WJW revised it:

*Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say the full launch will happen after Christmas.

Probably wise to wait until the rest of the holiday travel is over too.  If the system bombs somehow, it would be brutal when busy with holiday travelers. 
(If the system did implode somehow, would they have to give free travel to those affected?)

[thenetwork]

Sounds like the Turnpike will flip the switch to the new tolling system (and the new "free" sections on each end) next week, right after.the Thanksgivine Weekend rush:

https://fox8.com/news/new-turnpike-tolling-system-to-launch-after-busy-thanksgiving-travel-period/

After you posted (the next day), WJW revised it:

*Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say the full launch will happen after Christmas.

Probably wise to wait until the rest of the holiday travel is over too.  If the system bombs somehow, it would be brutal when busy with holiday travelers. 
(If the system did implode somehow, would they have to give free travel to those affected?)


[/quote

It would probably make the most sense now to flip all the switches at 12:01AM on New Years Day, since I believe there will be an overall toll increase at that time anyways.

[Buck87]

Just looked ad there's still no news on the new toll system starting up

Would have thought they'd get it done by now

[jmacswimmer]

Just looked ad there's still no news on the new toll system starting up

Would have thought they'd get it done by now

Great minds think alike - I was already writing this post and saw yours pop up when I hit preview. Looks like they did do the annual increase for the old system on 1/1, but nothing new seems to have come out about activating the new system. I passed thru the Eastgate & Newton Falls plazas back in mid-December and both looked ready to go whenever - at Eastgate, the eventual eastbound lanes bypassing the plaza were fully paved & striped. I wonder whether things have been popping up during testing that require additional work prior to activation, or if some of the recent winter weather has even delayed activation.

The new feedback displays already activated at some of the side plazas (I passed thru Streetsboro both ways heading to & from Cleveland) are really nice and easy to read - displayed "E-ZPASS ACCEPTED" in large letters.

Here's Eastgate & Newton Falls heading west:




And heading back east - side story at Eastgate, I cleared one of the E-ZPass lanes no problem but the gate didn't rise for the car behind me. Good thing I was in front of them

[wanderer2575]

I wonder if it's simply that, having waited for the year-end holidays to pass, OTC decided it missed its window and it's too cold/snowy/windy now to have crews out to do lane re-striping and removing the five zillion rivets holding the greenout sign covers at the new mainline barriers.

[MASTERNC]

Sounds like the launch of the new tolling system is coming soon

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/we-follow-through/ohio-turnpike-expects-to-go-live-with-open-road-tolling-sometime-in-the-next-couple-of-weeks

[wanderer2575]

Posted today on the Ohio Turnpike website.  At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.

BEREA, Ohio (March 22, 2024)  –  The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission's new toll collection system, which started as a vision and a study in 2016, is nearing the final stages of completion.  The switch to the new system – which began last year – will be phased in gradually over the next several weeks.

https://www.ohioturnpike.org/about-us/toll-collection-system-modernization

[Buck87]

At this point I'm guessing they'll wait until after the eclipse to implement the new system.

[seicer]

There is more nonsense at the toll booths today.

Several years ago, I had a transponder fail at the eastern toll plaza on the Pennsylvania border near Youngstown. The NYSTA transponder worked fine until then and worked fine after that - but the system could not read it. They had to manually key it in or something to get the gate to open.

I had a similar failure at the Interstate 280 interchange near Toledo today. The manual lanes were already clogged, but the EZ-Pass-only lanes were equally congested. The person ahead of me tried paying with a credit card at the lanes - and required assistance. When it was my turn a few minutes later, my transponder failed to read. An employee saw I was stuck and came over. He pointed at my rooftop storage rack as the issue, although the transponder was properly mounted. He opened the gate, and the transponder was read electronically.

Never had an issue at any other tolling system except for the Ohio Turnpike and their antiquated transponder readers.

[wanderer2575]

At this point I'm guessing they'll wait until after the eclipse to implement the new system.

And then Mother's Day, and then Memorial Day, and then Independence Day, and then Labor Day, and then...

[GCrites]

along came Jones

[thenetwork]

At this point I'm guessing they'll wait until after the eclipse to implement the new system.

And then Mother's Day, and then Memorial Day, and then Independence Day, and then Labor Day, and then...

Maybe they will make the switch and uncover all the new signs DURING the eclipse, when no one's looking.  That would really screw with people's minds...

[GreenLanternCorps]

At this point I'm guessing they'll wait until after the eclipse to implement the new system.

And then Mother's Day, and then Memorial Day, and then Independence Day, and then Labor Day, and then...

Maybe they will make the switch and uncover all the new signs DURING the eclipse, when no one's looking.  That would really screw with people's minds...

That's how Audrey II snuck onto Earth in Little Shop of Horrors

[MASTERNC]

Someone on Facebook claimed the switchover is coming Wednesday

[Bitmapped]

Eastgate was a disaster yesterday, causing a backup that lasted as far east as I could see from the PA 551 overpass, so at least 7 miles. Apparently only one dedicated E-ZPass lane was open from posts I saw online. They should have gone online with the new tolling system before the eclipse.

[seicer]

Eastgate was a disaster yesterday, causing a backup that lasted as far east as I could see from the PA 551 overpass, so at least 7 miles. Apparently only one dedicated E-ZPass lane was open from posts I saw online. They should have gone online with the new tolling system before the eclipse.

I have two friends who were stuck in that disaster. It took them an hour to get through Eastgate with EZ-Pass.

[Buck87]

Looking at Google maps early Monday evening there was also a considerable backup on the Turnpike caused by westbound traffic trying to get off onto I-280. At one point it was almost as far back as the Blue Heron service plaza.

[jmacswimmer]

Someone on Facebook claimed the switchover is coming Wednesday

Sure enough...multiple articles out stating the switchover happened at 2AM this morning. The turnpike's toll calculator has been updated to reflect the new system as well.

https://www.ohioturnpike.org/about-us/toll-collection-system-modernization

[thenetwork]

https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/ohio-turnpike-toll-plaza-wauseon-four-month-closure/512-eec2cdf5-1153-4928-b0dd-98ab0d3615d6

Looks like the OTC is starting to rebuild the "former toll" plazas, eliminating the toll barriers and streamlining the transitions now that that section of the Turnpike is toll free for local traffic.