E-ZPass To Be Installed Along The Ocean Drive
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ (CBS) -- E-ZPass is coming to five toll bridges down the shore, about a year behind schedule.
The spans connect various portions of the Ocean Drive, a 50 mile stretch of local roads between Atlantic City and Cape May.
The bridges are operated by the Cape May County Bridge Commission, where North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello is chairman.
"The Ocean City-Longport bridge will be the first bridge where E-ZPass is activated," he told KYW Newsradio, "and we anticipate that happening towards the end of November of 2017."
All five spans are expected to be hooked up into the system by next spring. Repair work on one span put off installation of the electronic toll system, which was to have been in place by last spring.
Rosenello expects the majority of the almost 2 million cars who use the drive each year to avail themselves of the system.
"The Garden State Parkway and the Atlantic City Expressway, the usage for E-ZPass on those roads is approaching 80%," he added. "So we anticipate that at least 80% of our bridge customers are going to already have E-ZPass."
Those $1.50 one way tolls will remain, short term, although necessary upgrades on two older bridges might change that plan.