WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary and PA Turnpike Commission Chair Mike Carroll said this week he is proud that the Pennsylvania Turnpike isn’t afraid to reinvent how it does business or reimagine its place in the communities it connects.
“Modernization and innovation are at the foundation of what we’ve done since 1940 and I know that our 1,300 talented and committed employees continue to lead the transformation of our historic highway,” Carroll said.
As 2024 comes to a close, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is celebrating a year of major progress on “America’s First Superhighway” — while also looking ahead to one of the biggest changes since the PA Turnpike opened in 1940.
Carroll said the PA Turnpike was motivated by its mission to drive the standard for safety, customer service, and mobility in 2024.
Customer-driven
Customers who choose to ride the PA Turnpike receive a premium service that supports national mobility and commerce.
From Jan. 1, through Nov. 30, the PA Turnpike has seen more than 193 million customers use the more than 565 miles of roadway — a 0.6% increase in volume compared to the same period in 2023.
Passenger vehicle traffic is at 95% of its peak 2019 levels, while commercial vehicle traffic is 15% above 2019 levels.
Customers prefer easy-access mobile payment options through the PA Turnpike’s on-the-go account management app — PA Toll Pay — which hit 2.4 million downloads this year.
Furthering its commitment to customer expectations and convenience, the PA Turnpike added Google Pay and Apple Pay options to deliver what the majority of customers want — seamless and convenient mobility.
“Heading into our 85th year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike remains in growth mode,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “Open Road Tolling is just one way we’re evolving to ensure this progress continues. Each day, our employees strive to deliver a premium service for those living, working and visiting our Commonwealth and we will continue to work to be the best for our customers.”
Teamwork delivers
In 2024, the PA Turnpike spent more than $286 million in roadway maintenance and improvements to modernize the turnpike and improve customer experience, including resurfacing more than 28 miles of roadway and undertaking total reconstruction of 27 miles — including the MP 102-109 project which opened to six-lanes in August.
All work at the PA Turnpike is a direct investment of toll dollars.
The PA Turnpike has collected more than $32 million in unpaid tolls and fees for drivers who were in violation of paying their tolls.
Open Road Tolling
As it prepares for its 85th birthday in 2025, the PA Turnpike is beginning the year with the launch of one of the most transformative projects in the highway’s history.
Open Road Tolling (ORT) is the culmination of the PA Turnpike’s decade-long journey to modernize operations. In the ORT system, tolls are charged electronically as customers drive at highway speeds beneath overhead structures (gantries), without slowing down or stopping at toll booths.
Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway classifies and identifies the vehicle and electronically processes tolls, allowing for free-flowing traffic, which reduces accidents, improves the environment, and allows new access points.
ORT will launch on the mainline PA Turnpike east of Reading along with the Northeast Extension beginning Jan. 5, and statewide in Jan. 2027. Due to the additional standardization and vehicle classification changes, nearly 50% of passenger car trips will see a lower toll rate in 2025 compared to what they pay today.
About 84% of E-ZPass and 74% of Toll by Plate trips will see a toll cut or an increase of under $1 in 2025 and about 70% of commercial vehicles will see an increase of $5 or less.
To prepare for ORT, customers should take advantage of the most cost-effective way to travel on the PA Turnpike by opening an E-ZPass account and saving 50% on all PA Turnpike trips. Customers should also properly mount their transponders to ensure that billing is seamless and accurate.
Safety always
From Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, the PA Turnpike’s Maintenance Utility Workers and the GEICO Safety Patrol team assisted in 35,612 incidents, in addition to their routine patrols.
The roadway is also maintained by a dedicated maintenance force and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop T.
In partnership with PSP and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program went into effect in March, after the initial five-year pilot program was made permanent last year. During the pilot program’s operation, there was a 64% reduction in speeding in work zones (1 mph or more over the speed limit), a 74% reduction in excessive speeding in work zones (11 mph or more over the speed limit), and a 30% decline in work zone crashes when a speed enforcement vehicle was present.