Officials are planning a dramatic conversion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to all electronic tolling with no more toll plazas or cash payments in about five years.
Turnpike Commission officials told state lawmakers that the project is the most ambitious of its kind in the nation.
Instead of driving through toll plazas, vehicles will pass beneath sensors that will automatically deduct tolls from E-Z Pass accounts or photograph license plates so a bill can be sent to the owner.
In July, the commission hired a contractor -- HNTB Corp., a Missouri company with five offices including one in Harrisburg -- to move forward with the plans to convert to an all-electronic tolling system that would eliminate the use of cash along the 545-mile route, according to a Pennlive.com report.
It costs more than $67 million a year to staff toll plazas and that cost is projected to rise to $77 million by 2014.
Meanwhile, turnpike tolls will increase in January.
How about you try something new here and show a little bit of compassion. Technology is constantly evolving and altering our society. Who knows, maybe one day you too, will find yourself made obsolete. Should that happen, I hope that you are treated with more dignity than you have shown these workers.
By the way -- I know Tanya - she has "problems", so cut her some slack.....
We can't keep setting ourselves back due to "this is the way we always do things" mentality, or feel obligated to keep very low skilled, higher paid jobs in place because of past history of mis-management, union greed and political corruption.
Do you really know Tanya? It seems you are from Western PA and she is from Eastern PA. If you do know her what is her real name? Thanks.
Pennsylvania will truly help balance their budgets by going electronic at the Toll and privatizing the Liquor stores.The current Republican led house and Senate will get this done.The Democrats do not support nor would they get these huge issues resolved. Their past majority has proven they cannot.They Democrats in the PA House and Senate need to go.
I was a past member of UFCW 1776 and decided many years ago that what they had to offer was not my idea of the better life therefore feel no remorse for those CHOOSING to stay in that that kind of work.