By the end of this year, it will only take a split second to pay a toll on the New York State Thruway.

“All of the information, the data is being downloaded every second,” New York State Thruway Authority Director Matt Driscoll said.

What You Need To Know

  • The New York State Thruway Authority's cashless tolling system is scheduled to go live by the end of the year

  • The system will feature 70 gantries equipped with cameras and sensors that capture license plate, E-ZPass and other data

  • Once the system goes live drivers who do not have an E-ZPass tag will have bills sent in the mail

Once construction of the Thruway Authority’s cashless tolling system is finished, Driscoll says traditional toll booths will be replaced by gantries like the one that’s already complete off of Exit 22 in Selkirk.

“People see these gantries being installed but I don’t think they understand the sophistication that goes into this,” Driscoll said on Thursday.

“All of these gantries will have equipment installed on them, they will be reading E-ZPass tags, they will be taking pictures of license plates,” said Jennifer Givner, the Thruway Authority’s director of media relations.

Givner says the Thruway will have 70 gantries, including some that span the highway like the one between exits 23 and 24. A total of 17 gantries will be built in the Capital Region.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans for the more than $330 million project during his State of the State address in 2018.

“This is a transformational transportation infrastructure project, it’s wholly changing the face of transportation in New York state,” Driscoll said. “It’s certainly going to be much more efficient, clearly better for the environment.”

More than 250 million vehicles traveled on the Thruway last year and about 75 percent rely on E-ZPass to pay tolls. Once the cashless system goes live, drivers without an E-ZPass tag will have bills sent in the mail.

“By the end of this year there will be no more cash collection,” Driscoll said. “E-ZPass transponders are the best way to travel, there’s discounts associated with these.”

Thruway tolls in the Tri-State area went cashless two years ago. Before the calendar flips to 2021, Driscoll says drivers across the entire state will have that same ease of access.

“There are many things we have done that have been transformational but I would suggest this is probably the largest because this is modernizing a super highway system,” he said.