The Future

As part of an effort to expand E-ZPass improvements system wide, under the Authority’s multi-year Capital Plan, the Authority plans to make improvements across the system. These improvements included dedicated E-ZPass lanes, as well as higher and highway speed lanes. View the Capital Plan Improvement Map.

Under the Capital Plan, the Williamsville Toll Barrier, located east of Buffalo, will be reconfigured to accommodate highway speed E-ZPass, as will the Canaan Barrier, located on the Berkshire Connector near the New York/Massachusetts state line, the Woodbury Toll Barrier, located just south of Harriman, the Yonkers Toll Barrier, located approximately 5 miles north of where the Thruway (I-87) becomes the Major Deegan Expressway, and pending the outcome of the Albany Corridor Study, the Authority would also like to include highway speed E-ZPass lanes in the Albany area.

Recently, the Authority has begun to further improve the E-ZPass program by providing higher speed E-ZPass, adding more dedicated lanes and arranging for more consistent placement of and signage for E-ZPass.

Over the next several years, the Authority plans to continue aggressively marketing E-ZPass, making the tags more readily available to customers. It is the Authority’s goal to make E-ZPass “on the go” tags available in more convenient locations - such as retail stores.

In addition to system-wide E-ZPass improvements, the Authority will have a third-party conduct a study to examine the costs, benefits and impacts of alternatives to the way the Authority currently collects tolls. Upon completion, the Study will determine how and where tolls should be collected in the future. Several alternative systems will be considered, for example, a mainline barrier system with highway speed toll collection for E-ZPass customers and a totally cashless system.

The Authority will also be conducting several regional studies in concert with the New York State Department of Transportation and regional or local Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

For more information on Highway Speed E-ZPass visit our projects and studies section.