PA Turnpike gets electronic congestion relief

 
Date: 2003-01-05

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The Pennsylvania turnpike is a main artery of U.S. commerce, being the principal route for shipping goods from the Midwest to large metropolitan areas in the east such as Harrisburg and Philadelphia. However, for drivers, the pleasure of travelling the scenic route through the Appalachians has recently been spoiled by worsening congestion at the eastern end of the highway.

Now, better traffic management is changing the congestion picture. Electronic toll collection systems have nearly eliminated the backups at Valley Forge and advance traveler information systems are better managing traffic all along the 531 miles of the turnpike.

Electronic toll collection is now being used by half the autos on the turnpike in the Philadelphia area, allowing toll plaza lanes to process up to 300 percent more traffic. Results are so good that the system, called E-ZPass, started being rolled out to commercial vehicles this past December. E-Zpass users get an electronic transponder (about the size of a deck of cards) that can be mounted to the dashboard. Tolls are then electronically deducted. Drivers hardly even have to slow down while entering the toll lanes.

Adding lanes through the mountainous state is difficult and expensive. The best way to relieve congestion, says a Turnpike commission spokesman, is simply to manage traffic more effectively.

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