Travel
Transition To All-Electronic Tolling Complete On Newport Bridge
By the end of the day Oct. 28, cash and car payments will be no more on the bridge.
NEWPORT, RI — Newport's Pell Bridge has officially transitioned to all-electronic tolling.
Lori Caron Silveira, the executive director of the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority, said the process was completed on time despite inclement weather earlier this week.
"We continue to ask motorists to be extra careful as they go through the toll plaza area," she added.
Find out what's happening in Newportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Under the new system, cash and credit tolls will no longer be accepted. Instead, drivers without a mounted E-ZPass will receive a bill in the mail, sent to the address registered to the license plate. From now through Nov. 30, toll rates will be the same as before: $2 per axle, or $4 for passenger vehicles. After that, toll rates for drivers without an E-ZPass will rise to $3 per axle, or $6 for passenger vehicles.
Qualifying E-ZPass users will continued to be billed at the discounted rate.
Find out what's happening in Newportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The transition to all-electronic has been a while coming. The department announced the formal change in July, and ran a four-week pilot program back in February.
"Close to 90 percent" of customers are already using EZPass transponders, Silveira said.
"As we modernize and streamline our operations, it makes sense to deploy technology and use our resources where they are needed most," she continued.
Drivers can register for an EZPass transponder online.
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