Coming Soon!
The Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority is transitioning to All-Electronic Tolling (AET) to enhance efficiency, safety, and convenience for drivers.
What is All-Electronic Tolling?
All-Electronic Tolling (AET) eliminates the need for toll booths and cash payments by using E-ZPass transponders and license plate recognition technology to collect tolls seamlessly. AET provides a faster, safer, and more efficient driving experience.
AET reduces congestion, minimizes environmental impacts, and improves traffic flow by allowing vehicles to travel without stopping.
Vehicles maintain highway speeds through gantries.
License plate recognition technology identifies vehicles without E-ZPass transponders.
Where Is AET Happening?
AET will begin on the Powhite Parkway. The Powhite Parkway covers 3.4 miles between Chippenham Parkway and the Cary Street ramps and includes a 0.4-mile-long bridge crossing the James River.
The Powhite Parkway Toll Plaza currently has a total of 20 lanes - 14 physical lanes and six Open Road Tolling lanes (three in each direction). The Forest Hill interchange has a total of eight lanes to its on- and off-ramps to Powhite Parkway, and the Douglasdale ramps north of the river have two unmanned lanes connected to the parkway.
When AET is implemented on the Powhite Parkway, cash will no longer be accepted. Drivers will pay tolls without stopping at toll points, and all tolls will be collected electronically via E-ZPass or Pay-By-Plate.
When Is AET Happening?
The transition to AET is scheduled to begin with the Powhite Parkway this winter, followed by the Downtown Expressway and Boulevard Bridge.
Cash will still be accepted at the Downtown Expressway during the transition.
How is Payment Collected Without Toll Booths?
Drivers pay tolls electronically with E-ZPass or Pay-By-Plate. If you don’t have an E-ZPass, a camera will take an image of your license plate, and you will receive an invoice in the mail.
E-ZPass is an electronic toll payment system that lets you pay tolls without stopping. When you open an account online or pick up an E-ZPass On-the-Go Transponder from a local retailer, you will receive a small electronic transponder that attaches to your vehicle’s windshield. Your initial payment funds your account to pay tolls.
With Pay-By-Plate, each time you travel through an RMTA roadway, a camera will take an image of your license plate, and you will receive an invoice in the mail.
