Newport Pell Bridge shifts to all E-ZPass tolling

Beginning this past Sunday, the Newport Pell Bridge tolling system switched to a 4-week trial of full automation. Motorists heading eastbound will not be able to pay tolls by cash or credit card.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) reminds drivers that they will direct all traffic heading eastbound (towards Newport) through lanes that accommodate E-ZPass and bill by mail transactions. (Expected inclement weather could delay the start of the pilot program).

The pilot program will necessitate some toll booth lane closures. During the 4-week program, motorists heading eastbound will not be able to pay tolls by cash or credit card. Signs will direct motorists to keep moving and not to stop at the toll plaza to ensure traffic safety. Motorists approaching the toll plaza from the Jamestown on-ramp will be required to stop and then proceed to merge.

The tolls will be collected utilizing the existing open road tolling (ORT) technology. This technology reads E-ZPass transponders for tolling. If a vehicle does not have a transponder, a bill will be mailed to the address of the registered owner of the vehicle. The billed toll amount will be the same as if the vehicle was paying at the toll booth with cash or credit card. However, if the invoice is not paid on time, fees will be applied.

The tolls can be paid via mail, at the drop box located at the Jamestown office, online at www.ezpassritba.com, or over the phone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-877-743-9727.

RITBA is encouraging customers to sign up for E-ZPass and utilize the online tools available to manage their accounts and pay for tolls, as call volume is expected to increase as a result of these changes. RITBA is asking its existing customers to log in to their accounts and update all vehicle, address, and credit card information to avoid unpaid tolls.

Impact on personnel

RITBA responded to questions from RINewsToday about how this impacts personnel. They said that there have been no toll collector jobs lost due to the program implementation, and that there will be no loss of shifts for full-time employees during this period. The duties of toll collectors will shift to other operations at RITBA. They will consist of observing and monitoring the trial period to help assess the program to make any necessary adjustments along the way.

RITBA is implementing this pilot program to evaluate the impact all-electronic tolling (AET) would have on the Authority in all aspects from finance and back-office tolling operations to plaza operations. This effort is part of RITBA’s Ten-Year Renewal and Replacement Plan unveiled in 2016. 

In terms of permanent job replacement, RITBA said it did not know that at this time what the impact would be. They employ eight toll collectors and four full-time supervisors. However, “when RITBA shifts to AET permanently, RITBA is committed to making best efforts to transition displaced employees to other appropriate positions at RITBA”. When asked how much money the automated system could save, they said that “due to the unknown of how many of the twelve full-time employees would have new roles at RITBA, we cannot accurately calculate the future dollar savings (at this time).”