SWANTON, Ohio — If you get off of the Ohio Turnpike on exit 49 near Swanton, you'll see one of its new turnpike tolling systems.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission says the new system will make the roadway safer, faster and more effective.
"Overall. it will be safer for everyone," said Ferzan Ahmed, OTIC executive director. "The less people that have to stop, the less free-flow traffic there is."
He said toll booths are like any other technology. Every 12 years or so, the whole system needs an overhaul. So in 2016, the commission began looking into ways to make its next upgrade a significant one.
"Nationwide, the trend is for electronic and open road tolling. Basically, what that means, more and more customers would rather not stop and grab a ticket, but rather have nonstop travel," Ahmed said.
With the five-year, $250 million project, E-ZPass drivers don't need to stop at gates.
There are ways of catching you if you try to sneak through, too.
"We have cameras that will take a picture of their license plate, and we can send them an invoice," Ahmed said.
Ticket-based drivers — which Ahmed says are only 30% of the people who drive on the turnpike — will still need to stop. But there have been upgrades to that system, too.
Alongside regular booth workers, you can find automated payment systems that will allow you to use your credit card or cash to get through the booth and you won't have to talk to anyone during the whole process.
Nine of the turnpike's 31 toll stops will also be demolished because the new stations are more centrally located, Amhed said.
The turnpike commission waited until the middle of the night Tuesday, after the traffic brought on by the total solar eclipse, to launch the new system.
Ahmed said this was intentional.
"What if there was a glitch when we were switching?" he said. "When you're switching out a complicated electronic system, you must expect a glitch. So last night at 2:14 a.m., traffic was low, and we were prepared in case there was a glitch. But everything worked out."