Massachusetts getting rid of toll booths

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2016/08/30/massachusetts-getting-rid-of-toll-booths/

If you’re driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike two months from now, don’t expect to see any toll collectors. They’re slated to be replaced in late October by an electronic, cashless tolling system.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced this week it will completely demolish all the toll plazas on Interstate 90 by the end of 2017, as the state switches to all-electronic tolling on the turnpike and Boston tunnels.

A growing number of states have been getting rid of toll plazas in some areas and moving to all-electronic systems, in an effort to improve driver safety and traffic flow and save taxpayer dollars. The result: toll collector jobs have dwindled and they’re becoming a thing of the past.

In Massachusetts, hundreds of toll collectors’ positions will be eliminated. Some will retire; some will move into other jobs; some will be laid off.

— Written by Jenni Bergal