Lincoln Tunnel toll booths close forever on Sunday

The era of stopping to hand a wad of cash to a toll collector at the Lincoln Tunnel ends Sunday when it becomes the last Port Authority crossing to go all-electronic.

Drivers will have to pay attention because the change will go into effect early Sunday, said Tom Pietrykoski, a Port Authority spokesperson. An exact time wasnt given for the beginning of cashless toll collection.

The change means that all electronic-toll collection equipment on overhead gantries will be switched on, and the authoritys last toll collectors will leave their booths for the final time.

Unlike the old school toll booths, drivers dont have to stop at the overhead gantries to pay a toll and are encouraged to maintain the posted speed limit (unless traffic is stopped). E-ZPass tags will be read by overhead readers and cameras mounted on the gantries that will photograph license plates for billing non-E-ZPass customers.

Vehicle owners who used to pay cash will be sent a bill for the toll instead. They will be given a set time to pay the toll and a processing fee before it is considered a violation.

The change to all electronic tolls is the culmination of a $500 million, five-year effort to switch from manual to electronic toll collection at the bistate authoritys six crossings between New Jersey and New York.

Authority officials announced the end of cash toll collection at the tunnel last month, which followed the activation of electronic toll collection at the George Washington Bridge in July and at the Holland Tunnel in December of 2020.

The Port Authoritys first move to cashless tolling was converting its three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey in 2019. Aviva Oppenheim, lead engineer on the toll collection conversion project, was honored with a Pillars of the Port Authority award for her exemplary performance on the project in September.

The job isnt over for the Port Authority engineering team that designed, scheduled and implemented the cashless tolling system and hardware. Now they have to plan and schedule demolition of the old toll booths and plazas without affecting traffic.

That phase of that work will be a multi-year undertaking to coordinate demolition around already planned repairs and routine maintenance work at the George Washington Bridge and the two Hudson River tunnels, with the goal of limiting inconvenience to motorists, authority officials said.

Other advantages to the end of cash tolls include easing stop-and-go traffic, Port Authority officials said.

Cashless tolls also have been promoted as a safety feature because rear end collisions in toll plazas and the traffic leading to them will be avoided, officials said. Crashes at former toll plazas at the Bayonne and Goethals bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing declined by 70% after they went all electronic, authority officials said.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.