North Texas Tollway Authority changing ramp toll plazas on President George Bush Turnpike

by PegNews wire

Between now and the end of May, the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) will be making temporary changes to the configuration of ramp toll plazas on the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) in preparation for the transition to all-electronic toll collection which will be occurring in July.

When the temporary changes occur, cash customers will use the inside (left) lane for their transactions and the outside (right) lane will be reserved for TollTag customers only until July 2009. TollTag customers have the option of using either lane. Ultimately, when the NTTA transitions to all-electronic toll collection in July, there will only be one lane open at most PGBT ramp locations.

NTTA crews will be changing the configuration of two sets of ramps per week. Once the changes are complete at each ramp, the NTTA will notify customers of the changes using large roadside messaging signs. The messaging signs will remain in place for one week and then will be moved to the next complete ramps.

The NTTA announced in August 2007 that it would be making the transition to all-electronic toll collection. The PGBT, which will be the first existing facility in the country to transition to all-electronic toll collection, will be making the switch in July. The entire NTTA system of roadways, including the Dallas North Tollway, Addison Airport Toll Tunnel and Mountain Creek Lake Bridge, will be transitioned to all-electronic toll collection by 2011.

When the Bush Turnpike transitions to all-electronic toll collection and cash collection is eliminated, motorists without TollTags (ZipCash customers) will be billed by mail for their transactions. TollTag customers pay up to 45 percent less than ZipCash customers and benefit from the convenience of not receiving bills and having the option of managing their account online.

Source: NTTA