MassDOT offering tolling grace period
State House News Service
A new electronic tolling system will be activated Friday, ending the use of manned toll booths to collect fares from drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike
A difficult week in Massachusetts transportation, marked by a chaotic evacuation of a smoke-filled Orange Line train, is ending with a burst of concern over the state's long-planned conversion to an all electronic tolling system.
On Thursday, a day before the planned switch away from manned tollbooths, state officials announced they're authorizing a six-month grace period for drivers who have not yet obtained free transponders, which are issued by the state and communicate with electronic gantries over the roadways to determine where drivers are getting on and off tolled roads and charge them accordingly.
Transportation officials on Thursday said there would be a "weekend shutdown of the website and customer service hotline," but also announced expanded hours at customer service centers on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29-30 "in order to meet the demand by the public this week for transponders." The website will be unavailable until 7 a.m. Tuesday.
MassDOT officials said the website shutdown is necessary to "migrate approximately 1.7 million customer accounts from the current E-ZPassMA system into the new and updated system, and ensure customers are billed the correct gantry rate," and that the site could not have been shut down any sooner because the new system is being activated this weekend.
Credit cards and checks, but not cash, will be accepted to seed new transponder accounts at the following service center locations:
- East Boston, 145 Havre Street;
- Natick - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Eastbound at Mile Marker 117;
- Auburn - 27 Midstate Drive; Lee - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Eastbound, between Exits 1 and 2;
- Ludlow - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Eastbound (temporary sign-up location);
- Ludlow - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Westbound;
- Saugus - 1201 Broadway, Route 1 South;
- Charlton - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Eastbound (temporary sign-up location);
- Framingham - Service Plaza on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), Westbound (temporary sign-up location);
Transponders obtained over the weekend may not be activated until up to five days later, officials say.
"MassDOT appreciates the patience of the public during the transition from manual toll collection and believes community members will soon see the benefits of electronic tolls, including, an increase in safety, a lessening of traffic congestion, and a reduction of greenhouses gasses," MassDOT spokesman Patrick Marvin said in a statement.
Under the grace period rules, any driver without a transponder will receive a pay by plate invoice in the mail. The vehicle owner may pay the invoice, or apply to receive a free transponder and receive a credit for the difference between the pay by plate rate and the E-ZPassMA rate. After paying pay by plate bills in full, customers will be credited the difference on their new account.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials plan a 1:30 p.m. news conference to discuss the activation of all electronic tolls, which is scheduled for 10 p.m. Friday. The presser is at the District 6 headquarters building near South Station and I-93.
Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin, State Police Colonel Richard McKeon, MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve, and highway safety official Jeff Larason plan to talk about "logistics which will be set up Friday evening and during the demolition process, travel information tools for drivers to use before they get on the highway, and the 'grace period' of six months for vehicle owners without transponders," according to MassDOT.
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