Construction Begins On Open Road Tolling For Tobin Bridge

BOSTON (CBS) ---- Massachusetts Department of Transportation Administrator Frank DePaola says construction has begun on the new tolling system on the Tobin Bridge.

Instead of slowing or stopping, drivers will soon be able to continue over the bridge at full speed.

Right now, it's just a metal overhang on I-93 South just past the Chelsea exit.

But this summer, it will look similar to the open road tolling system on 93 in Hooksett, New Hampshire.

"Once the equipment is all attached and wired in, there's a series of steps making sure all the connections are correct and all the equipment is functioning properly," DePaola said.

MassDOT will test the system in June and in July.

The tolls will be collected through a driver's EZ Pass transponder.

For drivers who don't have one, cameras will record your license plate number and send the registered owner of the car, a bill in the mail.

"It will make toll collection more efficient more reliable. And in the end will increase the net revenue from the toll proceeds," DePaola said.

The Tobin Bridge is just the first step.

By the summer of 2016, all the tolls in Massachusetts are expected to be electronic.

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