William J. Kemble reported in the Daily Freeman the unmanned toll-collection system used during overnight hours on the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge will be implemented on the Rip Van Winkle and Bear Mountain bridges by the end of this year, according to the New York State Bridge Authority. The toll booths at the two spans will be unstaffed between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. during normal weather conditions and if traffic volume is low. During the unstaffed periods, machines will accept both cash and credit cards for toll payments. E-ZPass also will be accepted, as usual. Bridge Authority officials hope the reduced staffing costs system will save the agency about $500,000 by the end of 2014. Tolls on the two bridges are collected only from eastbound drivers. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.