Would be nice if they did, imo.
QuoteJENKS, Oklahoma - The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority will test an all-electronic tolling system in Jenks beginning in late January.
Plate Pay will allow drivers on the Creek Turnpike to take the exit at the Peoria, Elm interchange without stopping to pay a toll.
Instead, technology will scan the vehicle's tag, and send a bill to the driver, making things faster and safer.
"This is a big deal for us to see if it's effective, how effective it is and then we'll systematically look at other places throughout our system to whether electronic tolling will work or not," said Jack Damrill with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
The City of Jenks partnered with the OTA on the $9.5 million project which should come online in late January 2017.
- http://www.news9.com/story/33431549/oklahoma-turnpike-authority-to-test-all-electronic-toll-in-jenks
This is the exit one takes for the Oklahoma Aquarium, which is probably the biggest out-of-town traffic draw in Jenks (OKC doesn't have an aquarium). Might be why they selected that interchange for the test.
^^ Did they ever think that maybe they might want to work with the EZ Pass Consortium? I'd rather the bill go to ISTHA and they merely take the money out of my I-Pass account instead of me being sent a bill by the OTA if I go there.
OTA presently only has Pikepass interoperability agreements with Texas and Kansas. I believe that I-Pass/EZPass interoperability would be considerably more expensive to implement because the protocols are different. (Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma all use the same sticker-tag protocol.) At the very least, system-wide hardware changes would need to be made. My guess is that there's probably such a low amount of traffic from EZPass country that it isn't worth it to pursue interoperability, at least right now.
I think they're wanting to do away with the cash booths because of the administration overhead and costs associated with toll booth employees. Oklahoma is famous for having ridiculously high workers comp insurance costs. And I imagine workers comp premiums for toll booth employees are considerably higher than those for people working in an office all day. Add in matching Social Security, any employer provided health insurance, other benefits, etc. Then there's the cost and maintenance that goes into the manned toll booths. On top of that, someone has to get out there at zero dark thirty in the morning to fix the bill changer at some booth when it stops working. All that adds up to making those RFID tag reader systems and cameras to read license plates look pretty attractive.
Regarding Colorado's E-470: not only do they not warn you it's an electronic only toll road, but that the tolls on it are outrageously high. It costs $8 each way just to drive from I-25 on Denver's south side up to Denver International Airport and back. My tolls on I-44 from Lawton to Tulsa are $6.95 each way (Pike Pass rate).