As 2024 comes to a close, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission celebrates a year of major progress on “America’s First Superhighway” while also looking ahead to one of the biggest changes since the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940.
“I am proud that the Pennsylvania Turnpike continues to be an organization that isn’t afraid to re-invent how we do business, transform who we are to our customers and reimagine our place in the communities we connect,” said Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary and PA Turnpike Commission Chair Mike Carroll. “Modernization and innovation are at the foundation of what we’ve done since 1940 and I know that our 1,300 talented and committed employees continue to lead the transformation of our historic highway.”
From Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, the Turnpike has seen more than 193 million customers use its more than 565 miles of roadway, a 0.6 percent increase in volume compared to the same period in 2023. Passenger vehicle traffic is at 95 percent of its peak 2019 levels while commercial vehicle traffic is 15 percent above 2019 levels, Turnpike officials noted.
Customers prefer easy-access mobile payment options through the Turnpike’s on-the-go account management app, PA Toll Pay, which hit 2.4 million downloads this year. The Turnpike added Google Pay and Apple Pay options to deliver what customers said they want: seamless and convenient mobility. Through expanded payment options, AutoPay for Toll By Plate users, the Kubra cash payment network, QR codes on invoices and a smartphone app, the Turnpike has been committed to making it as easy as possible for customers to settle toll charges, officials said.
That’s part of why 80 percent of users indicate the Turnpike is a convenient way to travel within Pennsylvania, and 61 percent report an excellent or very good experience that consists of convenience, optimal highway speed, safety and a well-maintained road, according to research conducted by the Turnpike.
“Heading into our 85th year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike remains in growth mode,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “Open Road Tolling is just one way we’re evolving to ensure this progress continues. Each day, our employees strive to deliver a premium service for those living, working and visiting our Commonwealth and we will continue to work to be the best for our customers.”
In 2024, Turnpike officials spent more than $286 million in roadway maintenance and improvements to modernize the Turnpike and improve customer experience including resurfacing more than 28 miles of roadway and undertaking total reconstruction of 27 miles (including the MP 102-109 project, which opened to six-lanes in August). All work at the Turnpike is a direct investment of toll dollars. More information on the 2024 construction season can be found here.
Additionally, Turnpike officials continue to work diligently to collect every dollar owed. They are actively focusing on toll collection performance, investing in advanced technologies and working with the Legislature to support bills that crack down on customers who are choosing not to pay their invoices. The Turnpike has collected more than $32 million in unpaid tolls and fees for drivers who were in violation of paying their tolls.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission welcomed a new commissioner this year, as the legislature unanimously approved the nomination of Douglas Farnham to assume the seat held previously by William K. Lieberman on the five-member commission.
As it prepares for its 85th birthday in 2025, the Turnpike is beginning the year with the launch of one of the most transformative projects in the highway’s history.
Open Road Tolling is the culmination of the Turnpike’s decade-long journey to modernize operations. In the new system, tolls are charged electronically as customers drive at highway speeds beneath overhead structures, called gantries, without slowing down or stopping at toll booths. Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway classifies and identifies the vehicle and electronically processes tolls, allowing for free-flowing traffic: which reduces accidents, improves the environment and allows new access points, Turnpike officials noted.
ORT will launch on the mainline Turnpike east of Reading along with the Northeast Extension beginning Jan. 5 and statewide in Jan. 2027. Due to the additional standardization and vehicle classification changes, nearly 50 percent of passenger car trips will see a lower toll rate in 2025 compared to what they pay today.
About 84 percent of E-ZPass and 74 percent of Toll by Plate trips will see a toll cut or an increase of under $1 in 2025 and about 70 percent of commercial vehicles will see an increase of $5 or less, Turnpike officials said.
To prepare for ORT, customers should take advantage of the most cost-effective way to travel on the Turnpike by opening an E-ZPass account and saving 50 percent on all Turnpike trips. Customers should also properly mount their transponders to ensure that billing is seamless and accurate.
The PA Turnpike is also scheduled to open two total reconstruction projects in 2025 that will provide six lanes of travel with widened median and outside shoulders between mileposts 126-131 on the mainline Turnpike in Somerset and Bedford Counties and mileposts A38-44 on the Northeast Extension in Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Additionally, reconstruction at the Sideling Hill Service Plaza will be completed including a new Trailhead providing connection to more than 600 miles of trails within a 25-mile radius of the Plaza.
From Jan. 1 through Nov. 30, the PA Turnpike’s Maintenance Utility Workers and the GEICO Safety Patrol team assisted in 35,612 incidents, in addition to their routine patrols.
In partnership with Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program went into effect in March, after the initial five-year pilot program was made permanent last year. During the pilot program’s operation, there was a 64 percent reduction in speeding in work zones (1 mph or more over the speed limit), a 74 percent reduction in excessive speeding in work zones (11 mph or more over the speed limit), and work zone crashes declined by 30 percent when a speed enforcement vehicle was present.
