Forget the change: End of cash tollbooths coming to Atlantic City Expressway

You can one day forget about packing cash for your drive to the Jersey Shore.

That's because in future summers the Atlantic City Expressway will only be tolling drivers by E-ZPass and toll-by-plate. That's right, gone will be tollbooths.

The all-electronic tolling plan was announced by politicians and the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which operates the AC Expressway, during a Monday news conference. They touted all-electronic tolling (AET) -- also known as cashless tolling or open-road tolling -- as being a progressive step forward in a safer and more eco-friendly way.

"It represents progress," the SJTA said in an email to NBC10. "It embodies safety, allowing for smoother traffic flow and reducing the risks associated with toll booth congestion. It symbolizes efficiency, enabling quicker travel times for commuters and travelers." 

Likely gone will be those summer weekend backups approaching the Egg Harbor Toll plaza.

"It showcases responsibility, by lessening the Authority’s impact on the environment and fostering sustainable transportation solutions," the SJTA said.

“Today begins a new chapter for the South Jersey Transportation Authority with the benefits of this initiative being felt by every citizen, every business and every community along the Atlantic City Expressway," SJTA executive director Stephen F. Dougherty said.

After speaking Monday,, New Jersey Transportation commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-NJ, and others picked up shovels to break ground on the new toll-collection stations.

When will the AC Expressway become cashless only?

Between now and the spring of 2025, crews will remove the two main barrier toll plazas and all ramp toll machines with 11 AET gantry systems, SJTA spokesperson Kimberly Testa told NBC10 in an email.

"The AET project will provide an uninterrupted ride from Philadelphia to Atlantic City," the SJTA said in its email.

Like paying with cash? You have at least one more summer of Jersey Shore drives to stop at the tollbooth before AET takes effect.

The SJTA's goal is to have entirely electronic tolling on the Atlantic City Expressway in place by May 2025.