The Atlantic City Expressway is getting ready for 100% all-electronic cashless tolling which is expected to start around May of 2025… with efforts starting to construct 11 overhead gantry structures which will include technology to read E-ZPass tags of cars traveling underneath.
Construction is currently taking place on the Expressway just South of the Cross Keys Road exit where two large gantry structures are seen resting alongside of the Expressway (one for each direction), ahead of them being raised up into their final “over-the-roadway” position.
A separate effort to add a third lane to the Expressway on the Western end is still in the design phase.
This is a two-phase effort, with the first phase targeting the core aspects of all-electronic tolling including the installation of the gantry structures. Once that switchover is done (Expected May ’25), commuters will not be able to pay cash for tolls on the Atlantic City Expressway.
The second phase effort to remove the “old-school” toll plaza structures is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The benefit to commuters of all-electronic toll payment is a faster and safer roadway experience as cars will travel the roadway without having to slow down for tolls, will no have to navigate across lanes for the appropriate toll lanes, or become distracted by looking for change while still driving at highway speeds!
Once all-electronic tolling is turned on, every car on the Expressway will simply be focused on… driving.
If you do not have an E-ZPass account and vehicle tag, the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) who operates the Expressway is encouraging commuters to sign up for E-ZPass now.
This can be done online, or you could stop at the Frank S Farley Service Plaza on the Expressway, where they operate a Customer Service window during daytime hours (see below).
If you still choose to not have E-ZPass do not worry as this new effort will also include “Tolls By Plate” technology which will photograph a car’s license plate as you drive under the gantry structures, and convert that into an address via registration information… and a bill will be mailed to your house.
That all being said it is a much more efficient process to simply have E-ZPass.
While there’s a considerable construction effort going on to support this full implementation… it’s not exactly a radical new idea!
Effectively this process of cashless tolls began many years ago and the SJTA says that 89% of the commuters currently using the roadway are already utilizing E-ZPass to pay for tolls!
For that remaining 11% there’s actually a little extra bit of incentive, as other roadways and authorities area also moving quickly in this direction.
For those vising beaches in the most southern portion of the state, Cape May County has also announced that the five bridges it manages… will also be all cashless in 2025. That means for example, the bridge leading from Wildwood Crest to Cape May will no longer accept cash in the 2025 summer season!
And if you need even more reasons to sign up for E-ZPass… the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has already approved an all-electronic toll effort for the Garden State Parkway and large portions of the Turnpike. This is a more recent agreement and that full “100% cashless” date has not been set yet.
Atlantic City Expressway All-Electronic Tolls
If you’re unfamiliar with E-ZPass, it is a multi-state electronic toll payment network which is able to read E-ZPass tags located on a vehicle’s windshield, and charge the vehicle for the appropriate tolls … even when the vehicle is traveling at full highway speeds!
Very locally all of the Delaware River bridges support E-ZPass, and beyond that the states from North Carolina to New York, and then West out to Illinois… all support E-ZPass. In fact, East of the Mississippi River there’s only a handful of states that do not support it.
As mentioned the Atlantic City Expressway has been accepting E-ZPass for years (likely decades.)
The toll plaza experience has evolved over the years from when originally every vehicle would have to stop and pay a cash toll. “Anyone have a quarter?!”
When E-ZPass was first introduced, several of those original toll lanes were converted into a slow moving E-ZPass lane.
Later on the SJTA invested in significant road upgrades at the tollbooths to give the E-ZPass commuters dedicated higher speed travel lanes.
And when this new effort is completed… The Atlantic City Expressway will simply look like a highway with overhead signage.
Links and Location
Website: Atlantic City Expressway All-Electronic
E-ZPass Customer Service Center – Frank S Farley Service Plaza
The center will offer a comprehensive range of services, including:
- Opening new E-ZPass accounts
- Taking cash payments for missed tolls on the Atlantic City Expressway
- Resolving violations
- Account management and updates
- Billing inquiries and support
- Technical assistance for E-ZPass devices
The Customer Service Center Hours:
- Mondays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tuesday – Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Closed Saturday & Sunday