Travelers on the western portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) will begin seeing tolling equipment being installed on the newly constructed gantries in preparation for the launch of Open Road Tolling (ORT) systemwide.
The installation of the tolling equipment is underway at MP 185.2 in Huntingdon County and MP 168.4 in Fulton County. However, tolling equipment will not be active until ORT launches from the Reading Interchange to the Ohio line in early 2027.
The switch to ORT east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension began in January 2025. In an ORT system, tolls are charged electronically as customers drive at highway speeds without slowing down or stopping beneath overhead structures — called gantries — located between interchanges.
The tolling equipment on the gantry is not used as a speed enforcement tool. Traffic law and speed enforcement remain under Pennsylvania State Police jurisdiction. Instead, equipment on the gantry and in the roadway processes E-ZPass or Toll By Plate transactions.
Because transponders are read more often and at highway speeds, properly mounting your E-ZPass and maintaining updated accounts is more important than ever. Although charges can always be disputed, customers who don’t follow the required steps may receive a Toll By Plate invoice, billed at a higher rate.
Where ORT is live, the Pennsylvania Turnpike has been removing toll booths and reconfiguring interchanges to support safer travel, eliminating the confusion and lane switching associated with traditional, stop-and-go tolling. Toll booth removal eliminates obstacles, increases sight lines for customers and ultimately reduces stress and distractions when entering and exiting the system.
Lanes may be temporarily closed during installation of tolling equipment at the gantry site. While these will be well-managed, with appropriate signage and notification, drivers should pay attention, reduce their speed and use caution.
