Atlantic City Expressway to Begin Removing All Toll Barriers

The days of having toll booths and toll barriers on one of South Jersey's busiest highways are about to come to an end.

And, yes, you will still have to pay tolls, you just won't be able to use cash or change.

Later this month, officials with the South Jersey Transportation Authority will host a groundbreaking ceremony commemorating its transition to all-electronic tolling, known as "AET," on the Atlantic City Expressway.

The AET project will replace the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza, Pleasantville Toll Plaza, and all of the toll machines at every entrance/exit ramp with almost a dozen state-of-the-art electronic gantry, or overhead, systems.

E-ZPass dominates toll collections

Since E-ZPass debuted on the Expressway over 20 years ago, fewer and fewer people pay tolls using cash.

The Press of Atlantic City reported in February 2022, the Atlantic City Expressway tallied about 2.7 million E-ZPass transactions, which was just over 87% of all tolls that were collected. That July, that number remained about the same during the peak summer tourist season, according to NJ.com.

For those who don't have or don't want E-ZPass, it is expected that the AET system on the Expressway will have a pay-by-plate feature. If your vehicle does not have an E-ZPass transponder, the system will take a picture of your license plate and you will receive a bill in the mail for the toll.

Improved safety

One of the much-touted features of all-electronic tolling is improved safety for drivers and human toll collectors. Toll plazas on the Expressway have seen several fatal crashes over the past few years.

The most notable in recent memory was just after Christmas in 2021 when three members of one family died when their car crashed into a booth at the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza and burst into flames.

The driver, 31-year-old Reachthon Khiev of Manchester, NH; the front passenger, 27-year-old Reachsieh Khiev, also of Manchester; and a rear passenger, 14-year-old Keotepie Khiev of Atlantic City were killed. A fourth passenger, a 12-year-old girl in the backseat, was hurt. A toll collector was also injured.

Terry Brown of Mays Landing told 6ABC of the accident, "The sound and just seeing the car engulfed in flames instantaneously, my heart just sank."

Big transition

Toll increases on the Expressway that started back in 2020 are funding the transition to all-electronic tolling.

The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete and AET should be live sometime around Memorial Day Weekend 2025.

The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 11 AM on Monday, October 30th, at the Egg Harbor Toll Plaza in Hamilton Township.