Cashless tolling begins on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge

Jul 6

Written By HVNY

Cashless tolling begins Wednesday, July 7, 2021 on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge

There will be no need to stop to pay a toll – whether you have EZ-Pass or not – on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge beginning on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.

Instead of stopping to pay the toll and waiting for the green light, state-of-the-art sensors and cameras will read EZ-Pass tags and take license plate images. Vehicles with EZ-Pass will be charged automatically, those without will have a bill sent to the registered owner of the car via Tolls by Mail NY.

According to to the New York State Bridge Authority, cashless tolling provides quicker and more seamless travel, since drivers do not have to slow down and stop to pay their toll at a physical booth. Plus, there is less engine idling, less wasted fuel and fewer toll plaza accidents.

Motorists should expect delays around 11:50 p.m. on the night of July 6, as traffic will need to be temporarily stopped on the bridge in order to allow for the clearance of the toll plaza before the midnight implementation. Once the toll plaza is cleared, traffic will then be directed to proceed ahead through a new traffic pattern. The demolition of the toll booths will be completed in the next couple of weeks, and motorists are advised to proceed with caution through the work zone. The rehabilitation of the toll plaza is expected to be complete in August, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

The other four spans over the Hudson River operated by the Bridge Authority – the Bear Mountain, the Mid-Hudson, the Kingston-Rhinecliff, and the Rip Van Winkle Bridges – will have their conversions take place in subsequent months, one bridge at a time. The Bridge Authority expects the conversion to cashless tolling to be fully complete by Spring 2022.

“A modernized, high-tech transportation system is essential to keeping our economy competitive in the twenty-first century ... we are making travel across the Hudson River more seamless and tolling more cost-effective for all.”

— Gov. Andrew Cuomo