New York to implement open road tolling

New York’s bridges and tunnels may implement open road tolling (PRT) under a new plan unveiled by Mayor Andrew M. Cuomo.

According to Newsday, the electronic toll system, which would be implemented starting in January, was one of many improvements announced by Cuomo for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s bridges and tunnels.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority will begin rolling out the system at its crossings in January and aims to have them at place at all 10 of its bridges and tunnels by 2018.

The plan aims to eliminate the congestion caused by cars crawling up to a lowered toll gate, then waiting to go through. Cuomo said the change will save commuters up to 21 hours of a year and conserve a million gallons of fuel annually.