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Rip Van Winkle Bridge tollbooths torn down
Andrea Macko reports in Porcupine Soup that the tollbooths at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge were torn down Nov. 3. Drivers with EZ-Passes are charged by an overhead gantry with the cashless tolling equipment on the west side of the bridge, and those without are sent a bill, after the gantry takes a photo of their license plate. Not all of the toll takers have been laid off. “While there will no longer be toll collecting staff in physical booths, some of the toll collecting and bridge operations staff at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge have transitioned to new part-time and full-time security technician positions to staff the facility during the same hours that the bridge was staffed prior to going cashless,” the Authority explained. “These staff members will maintain many of the operational functions that were performed by toll collecting operations staff, such as assisting with emergency response and on-site security monitoring.” The roadway transformation won't be complete until the spring. The roadway at the bridge entrance and exit on the west side of the Hudson River will be straightened then, but the transit authority has not said if the 25 mph speed limit there will remain, or if the 40 mph speed limit on the rest of the bridge will go into effect where the toll booths used to be. Read more about this story in Porcupine Soup.