Office of the Governor

Governor McGreevey demolishes tollbooth, sets stage for express E-ZPass in South Jersey

South Jersey Building a Better New Jersey: Improving Traffic Flow

(PLEASANTVILLE) – Governor McGreevey cleared the way for Express E-ZPass lanes on the Atlantic City Expressway today, by using a backhoe to demolish a tollbooth at the Expressway’s Pleasantville Toll Plaza.

Express E-ZPass Lanes will be up and running at two westbound and two eastbound lanes at the Pleasantville plaza, by the summer of 2004.

The new advanced technology Express E-ZPass lanes, which are already in use on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike, will double the number of vehicles that can pass through the toll lanes each hour, moving visitors to and from Atlantic City faster and with greater convenience.

“It’s an obvious need: People work hard. They work long hours. New Jersey’s drivers deserve to spend more time with their families, and less time stuck in traffic,” Governor McGreevey said.

“Today we take the first step towards making Atlantic City more accessible to its residents and visitors from around the state by expanding on an existing resource,” the Governor continued. “Express E-ZPass works, and soon it will work for the people of South Jersey.”

In October 2002 Governor McGreevey announced an aggressive $45 million plan to install Express E-ZPass on the state’s toll roads.

Express E-ZPass removes a section of tollbooths from the roadway and replaces them with an overhead gantry similar to those that hold directional signs. Enhanced E-ZPass reading equipment is mounted on the gantry and reads the existing vehicle transponders as they pass underneath at normal highway speeds. Traditional E-ZPass and cash lanes will also remain for motorists who wish to continue using them.

Each location has two lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions and can increase the number of vehicles handled each hour from approximately 1,200 to almost 2,200.

On average the Pleasantville Toll Plaza handles 71,000 vehicles daily – that number jumps to more than 85,000 during peak times in the summer months. E-ZPass accounts for more than 65% of all transactions at the Pleasantville Toll Plaza.

“In only a matter of a few weeks since its installation on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway it has alleviated congestion and gained overwhelming acceptance by motorists,” said Governor McGreevey. “More than 90% of motorists at the existing locations choose the express lanes versus the traditional E-ZPass lanes.”

The Pleasantville Toll Plaza is scheduled for completion by summer 2004 at a cost of approximately $9.3 million.