Drivers traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will notice some big changes as crews start tearing down tollbooths as part of the system’s transition to Open Road Tolling only.
On June 9, 2025, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) announced that work has begun to remove tollbooths from the Turnpike.
Crews have already completely demolished and removed the tollbooths and canopy located on the Pocono Interchange (Exit 95) on the Northeast Extension (Interstate 476).
Tollbooths will be continue to be removed where Open Road Tolling (ORT) has launched, east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension. As the tollbooths are removed, the interchanges will be reconstructed to provide drivers with unobstructed traffic flow, officials say.
Removal of tollbooths and the reconstruction of interchanges will continue East of Reading and on the Northeast Extension through 2026, the PTC said. Drivers passing through these areas should be on the lookout for road crews and prepare for new temporary traffic patterns.
The PA Turnpike began the transition to ORT starting in January 2025. The PTC says that ORT will launch on the mainline PA Turnpike’s western section in 2027 and tollbooths on the mainline will be fully removed across the system by the end of 2028.
In the ORT system, tolls are charged as drivers pass under toll gantries between interchanges at highway speed. The technology automatically processes E-ZPass or Toll By Plate transactions without drivers needing to slow down or stop.
“The PA Turnpike has been a leader in transportation from the day we opened in 1940 as ‘America’s First Superhighway’ and while traditional tollbooths made practical sense then, we now have more advanced and efficient systems that better serve today’s 21st century customers,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “The switch to ORT modernizes the Pennsylvania Turnpike for today. We look forward to providing customers with a safer and more convenient travel experience on the PA Turnpike and better serving the communities we touch along the way.”
