The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has begun building the final phase of its all-electronic tolling implementation on Tuesday.

Work is currently underway to relocate tolling points in eastern PA from their current interchange locations. New highway-speed collection points are being built along the roadways between interchanges using a technique called Open Road Tolling (ORT).

ORT is described as a cashless, free-flowing mode of collecting tolls without traditional toll plazas or toll booths. With it, tolls continue to be paid electronically, but now vehicles will drive at highway speed beneath overhead structures called gantries located on the turnpike between entry and exit points.

Equipment installed on the gantry and on the roadway identifies and classifies vehicles and processes E-Z Pass and Toll by Plate payments.

PA Turnpike CEO, Mike Compton describes ORT as a safer, more convenient way for customers to travel.

"Open Road Tolling is the culmination of the PA Turnpike’s decade-long journey to modernize operations and meet customer expectations for seamless, nonstop travel,” Compton said.

The Eastern ORT systems are expected to go online by 2025, and the ORT systems for central and western PA are expected to begin construction in 2025 and go live in 2027.