For Immediate Release: 03/13/20
Contact: Office of Media Relations and Communications | (518) 471-5300 | public.info@thruway.ny.gov

THRUWAY AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES INSTALLATION OF FIRST TWO ‘OVER THE HIGHWAY’
GANTRIES AHEAD OF CONVERSION TO CASHLESS TOLLING BY THE END OF 2020

Fifty-eight Foot Gantries Located on NYS Thruway – I-90 at Milepost 277.5 Between Exit 34A (Syracuse – I-481) and Exit 35 (Syracuse – Rte. 298) Are First Two of 36 Mainline Gantries Scheduled to be Installed Over the Next Several Months

$355 Million Cashless Tolling Project on Schedule to Go Live by the End of 2020 and Will Benefit 267 Million Motorists Who Use the Thruway Each Year

Webpage Dedicated to Project Features Interactive Map, Project Timeline, Gallery and More 

Timelapse video of installation can be viewed here

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the installation of two mainline cashless tolling gantries, marking another significant milestone ahead of the Thruway’s conversion to cashless tolling on the Thruway system-wide by the end of 2020. The two gantries span 58 feet across the Thruway mainline (I-90) and are the first two of 36 mainline gantries that will be installed along the Thruway’s ticketed system.

The gantries are both 58 feet long by 23 feet high and weigh approximately 25,000 pounds. Each were installed in the overnight hours Thursday into Friday over the Thruway mainline (I-90) at milepost 277.5 in the Town of Manlius - between exit 34A (Syracuse – I-481) and exit 35 (Syracuse – Rte. 298). Photos from the cashless tolling construction and gantry installation can be found at thruway.ny.gov/cashless.

“The Thruway as we know it is modernizing and transforming before our eyes and the installation of these two mainline gantries is another monumental step towards creating a Thruway of the future,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll said. “Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State is delivering on its promise to provide a modern transportation system with non-stop, streamlined travel which will ease congestion, enhance safety, and lower idling emissions."

As Governor Cuomo first announced in his 2018 State of the State address, the $355.3 million investment will transform the Thruway system for the approximately 267 million motorists that travel the superhighway each year.

In total, 70 steel gantries will be installed on the Thruway’s ticketed system by the end of 2020. Gantries will be built utilizing approximately 3.5 million pounds of 100 percent American-made steel and hundreds of New York workers in accordance to the “New York Buy American” Act. Gantries are being fabricated at LMC Industrial Contractors Inc. in Livingston County.

Depending on location, some gantries may be installed on entrance/exit ramps or over the mainline highway.

In June 2019, Governor Cuomo announced Cashless Tolling Constructors, LLC (CTC) was awarded the $355 million contract to install cashless tolling across the entire Thruway ticketed system by the end of 2020. CTC is a consortium of contractors who will perform work in each of the four Thruway Maintenance Divisions; New York, Albany, Syracuse, and Buffalo. During the peak activity of the project, there will be a workforce of more than 800 engaged staff spread along the I-87 and I-90 corridors, spanning 18 counties.

Currently in the first phase of construction of the cashless tolling conversion, crews are actively working to prepare sites to install gantries and cashless tolling equipment on the highway and designated ramps. As part of the Design-Build project requirements, the switchover to cashless tolling will take place simultaneously system-wide by the end of 2020. 

When cashless tolling is operational on the Thruway's ticketed system and all toll booths are removed, motorists will drive seamlessly under gantries with state-of-the-art sensors and cameras that read E-ZPass tags and take license plate images so vehicles no longer have to stop to pay tolls. There will be more than 2,000 state-of-the-art cameras affixed to the gantries when completed.

Vehicles with E-ZPass tags are automatically charged and vehicles without E-ZPass tags will have their license plate image captured and a toll bill mailed to the registered owner.

Following the conversion to cashless tolling, the existing toll plazas and barriers will be removed in phases. During the deconstruction phase, drivers will continue to travel through existing toll lanes at reduced speeds without stopping until the booths are removed and road reconfigurations are complete. Drivers must use caution around the toll plazas during this time, as it will be an active construction zone. The posted speed limit when traveling through the toll lanes will be 20 MPH.

Additionally, the Thruway Authority has launched a new webpage dedicated to the project and its developments.

One of the many features on the webpage is the Interactive Map. Motorists can view where the gantries are scheduled to be installed along the system and the progress made at each location. Gantries will be located on the mainline and ramps, which users can locate on the Interactive Map. The webpage also features a FAQ section, project gallery and traffic information.

Motorists with questions about the project can email cashlesstollingproject@thruway.ny.gov or call 518-471-5300 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

For additional information on how cashless tolling works and tips on how to pay bills on time, visit the Thruway Authority's website at thruway.ny.gov/cashless.
Motorists are encouraged to sign up for E-ZPass, which is the most convenient way to pay tolls on the Thruway.

E-ZPass tags are sold at more than 900 locations across the state including Thruway Service Areas, select cash toll lanes, local grocery and convenience stores and municipal locations, New York State DMVs, and online. To find a retailer near you, go to thruway.ny.gov/getezpass.

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The Thruway is scheduled to convert to an entirely cashless tolling system by the end of 2020. For more information and project updates, go to thruway.ny.gov/cashless.

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subject to the State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA), the Public Authorities Law, and the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Public hearings for SAPA will be conducted in 2020.