Open Road Tolling at Hampton begins this weekend

[Blue Thunder]

Can't find much more than this online but I'm sure more will be out tonight or tomorrow...

http://wbztv.com/local/open.road.tolls.2.1715941.html

BT

[LIforrelaxin]

It is going to be interesting to see how this works out. My fear is that this is going to add confusion at least in the short term.....

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Here is some more info from NH DOT http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/operations/turnpikes/ort/index.htm
Lots of links to pictures at this link.

Looks like they may have gotten it right by not putting the ezpass lanes in the middle.

[Blue Thunder]

Here is some more info from NH DOT http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/operations/turnpikes/ort/index.htm
Lots of links to pictures at this link.

Looks like they may have gotten it right by not putting the ezpass lanes in the middle. The EZ Pass lanes are in the middle, separated by a wall on both sides.

The open road tolling at the Hampton Tolls this weekend will be a trial run. It will start at 4AM Friday and run to 4AM on Tuesday. Full roll out is expected in mid June. The media is reporting that if you make a mistake and get trapped in the open tolling section, you should keep driving and not slow down. The fancy banks of cameras will snap a photo of your license plate and they will send you a bill complete with a $1.00 surcharge. I'm sure that's a grace period policy and it will go up substantially upon full operation.

BT

[LIforrelaxin]

Interesting that they would call it a trial run... With the investment in infrastructure it is no trial. If it fails it will be a horrible deal. Especially where they are working on the installation of the same system in another part of the state I believe.

Unless there is a major hick up I would expect that once it open this weekend it will be open for good.....

[RI Swamp Yankee]

The EZ Pass lanes are in the middle, separated by a wall on both sides...
Correct.

Currently/formerly the EZ Pass lanes were in the middle with exact change on one side and others on the other side and boneheads swerving from one set of lanes accross the EZ Pass lanes to the other lanes. New setup, EZ Pass goes straight and ALL others go to the right.

I am sure that if the toll booth lanes get backed up there will be many going down the free flowing left lane(s) and then cutting over at the last possible moment. Probably the Flatlanders. ;)

[Merrymeeting]

Interesting that they would call it a trial run... With the investment in infrastructure it is no trial. If it fails it will be a horrible deal. Especially where they are working on the installation of the same system in another part of the state I believe.

Unless there is a major hick up I would expect that once it open this weekend it will be open for good.....

If you travel to other parts of the country, this is the normal setup.

I just returned from Houston, and they STARTED with this setup on their highways. Stay left, flow through at normal highway speeds, stay right, pay toll with exact change. Stay far right, get change.

I've seen this in several major cities around the country and it works just fine.

The only complication is usually caused by the clueless folks who stay left and stop the flow of traffic in the pass-thru lanes (most likely, the same ones who insist in staying in the left lane while traveling along at less than passing speed)

[RI Swamp Yankee]

I just returned from a trip to Maine and used the new EZ Pass lanes at the Hampton Plaza while towing my camper. I found everything well marked in advance going both North and South and a huge improvement over the previous setup. There were no backups and because the lanes were well marked in advance there was none of the zooming from one lane to another. I breezed right through at 65 mph and my online statement was correct.