State plans to replace turnpike toll booths with automated system

Toll plazas on the nation’s oldest superhighway will likely be a thing of the past within a decade.
The state Turnpike Commission expects to spend roughly $319 million on a massive project to replace 65 toll plazas along 545 miles of road with an automated collection system within five to seven years, turnpike officials said.
The move would make the turnpike the nation’s oldest highway also the country’s largest highway with an electronic only tolling system, of which officials hope to recoup the cost over more than a decade.
Approximately 800 toll collector, manager and auditor jobs could be eliminated or impacted by the proposal, which is the major thrust of cost savings projections, said turnpike spokesman Bill Capone.
The move will save an estimated $28.7 million to $47.2 million per year in annual operating costs, according to a 2011 feasibility study the turnpike conducted.