Pennsylvania Turnpike 66, also known as the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass, is going cashless this month.
Starting Oct. 27, drivers without an E-ZPass will no longer be able to pay with cash.
Instead, their license plate will be photographed, and a bill sent to the home of the vehicle’s registered owner.
The change comes with a toll hike. Those with an E-ZPass can be expected to pay 10 to 40 cents more. The new toll-by-plate option is significantly pricier, about $2 more than the E-ZPass rate.
However, tolls on Route 66 will remain the same from Oct. 27 through 2020, according to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, avoiding a hike for the rest of the turnpike system slated for January.
More than 80% of turnpike drivers have an E-ZPass, said commission spokesman Carl DeFebo.
The bypass is a 13.2-mile road that reroutes 66 around the city of Greensburg, connecting Route 22 near Delmont in the north with the turnpike interchange at New Stanton in the south.
The commission will hold a “virtual public meeting” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at nocashzone.com, when officials will provide more information and answer questions about the changes, DeFebo said.
“October 27 marks a significant change in the way we are collecting tolls and we want our customers to be prepared,” Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said in a statement. “We need to make sure motorists understand that the conversion to cashless tolling at these locations means they will no longer need to stop to pay a toll.”
The Gateway toll plaza near the Ohio border is also slated to go cashless Oct. 27.
The commission has been rolling out cashless tolling in several locations over the last few years, starting with Franklin County’s Willow Hill Interchange in 2015.
Other cashless tolls include the Findlay Connector in Allegheny and Washington counties, the Beaver Valley Expressway in Beaver and Lawrence counties, the Clarks Summit/ Keyser Avenue exit in Lackawanna County and the Delaware River Bridge in Philadelphia County.
Toll hike details
How much drivers pay on the Amos K. Hutchinson bypass depends both on what exit they take and whether they pass through the mainline toll plaza between the Route 30 and Route 136 exits. All the tolls are going up Oct. 27 — a bit for those with an E-ZPass, a lot for those without it. These are the rate changes for two-axle vehicles at each toll booth:
Mainline Toll Plaza:
- E-ZPass Rate $2.10, up from $1.90
- Toll By Plate rate $4.30, replacing $2.80 cash toll
Route 136 and Route 30 exits:
- E-ZPass rate $1.50, up from $1.40
- Toll By Plate rate $3.60, replacing $2.30 cash rate
Route 130 and Old PA 66 Exits
- E-Z Pass rate $1.10, up from $1
- Toll By Plate $2.70, replacing $1.70 cash rate.
The other exits, at Interstate 70, Arona Road, Boquet Road and Route 22, will remain free.
