Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the tollbooths on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge are scheduled to be torn down in the coming week, according to a New York State Bridge Authority spokesman. The bridge will convert to cashless tolling on November 1, with drivers passing under an electronic gantry to pay their toll. Vehicles with an E-ZPass will have the toll automatically deducted from their account. License plates will be photographed on vehicles without an E-ZPass and the registered owner will be billed by mail. The toll booths at the bridge are expected to be demolished shortly thereafter. “We expect to remove the tollbooths within a week after the November 1 launch date at the Rip Van Winkle,” said Public Information Officer Chris Steber from the Bridge Authority. “Eastbound vehicles will be proceeding in a single lane through what is now Lane 1.” Further work is expected at the toll plaza in 2022. “In the spring, we’ll begin paving and rehabilitating the toll plaza area to its final configuration,” Steber said. The tollbooths were constructed in 2003 and are not historic or replicas of prior tollbooths, the spokesperson added. “By removing them, we can ensure the roadway remains clear of obstructions,” he said. “It will also prevent motorists from mistakenly slowing down, thinking they need to stop at a tollbooth.” All five bridges under the jurisdiction of the Bridge Authority are shifting to cashless tolling by March 2022. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.