Latest news with #TurnpikeCommission
CBS News
29-03-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Pa. State Police, Turnpike Commission teaming up for Operation Orange Squeeze
State troopers will trade in their cruisers for construction vehicles in April as part of the Operation Orange Squeeze safety initiative. Troopers will, according to a press release from the Turnpike Commission, "monitor unsafe behaviors like speeding and distracted driving across work zones on the Pennsylvania Turnpike system." The Operation Orange Squeeze initiative was started nearly 10 years ago to prioritize the safety of construction workers and turnpike work crews. According to data from turnpike officials, last year saw 176 reported crashes in active turnpike work zones, resulting in two deaths and 48 injuries. "Safety has always been and will always be a key part of our culture," said Pa. Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. "As we begin another construction season, we need drivers to work with us to provide safe work zones for everyone. More than half of our employees work out in the field to ensure our roadway remains 'best in class' for our customers, and paying attention in work zones is critical to helping our workers get home safely." When Operation Orange Squeeze resumed after the pandemic in April 2023, troopers issued more than 430 citations and nearly 400 warnings to drivers disobeying the law, the news release added. "The importance of programs like Operation Orange Squeeze is not necessarily enforcement but the safety aspect and how important it is to slow down and pay attention," said Cpl. Richard Levan of Pennsylvania State Police Troop T. "One highway death is one too many, and that's why we urge motorists to slow down and never drive distracted, especially in work zones."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Turnpike text scam occurances increasing
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A warning from law enforcement regarding a text scam that 28/22 News has been tracking. It involves text messages that are supposedly sent by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Those who receive them are told they owe overdue tolls and face serious legal penalties if they don't immediately pay up. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission officials tell the I-Team the texts are becoming more threatening and the number of those texts being sent to Pennsylvanians is also increasing in a bigtime way. They are urging people not to fall for the scam. 'Different versions of the scam now that are really attempting to leverage fear to trick people into giving their personal and financial information,' Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Press Secretary Marissa Orbanek said. So they can access and steal your money. The scam surfaced last April and Turnpike Commission officials say it has intensified in recent weeks. The text indicates that a person has unpaid tolls and if they are not paid immediately. That person could face increased legal fees and possibly lose their driver's license. A link is provided in the text for people to make a payment. 28/22 News spoke recently with a Luzerne County woman who received scam texts and didn't know why she was getting them. 'I don't leave the area, so I know I don't have any tolls,' said Sweet Valley resident Gina Traver. 'I think AI is making it easier for cybercriminals to really make their texts and their message more sophisticated text, so I think it looks authentic,' Orbanek explained. Setback delays Lackawanna County commissioner replacement process 'Does the Turnpike Commission send texts if you are in arrears of fines?' 28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick asked. 'The Turnpike Commission nor any of our partners will text you with a direct link to pay a toll or fine that is not something we do. We do not text,' Orbanek stated. Turnpike officials say if you receive a scam text. do not respond, do not click on the link, and report the text to the FBI and local law enforcement. Also, if you are not sure if you owe unpaid tolls, contact the Turnpike Commission directly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
PA Turnpike beginning to build open road tolling infrastructure in Pittsburgh region
According to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, more than 500,000 people drive the Turnpike system every single day. Bill Howe of Donegal is often one of them. 'How often do you drive the Turnpike?' Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek asked him at the Donegal exit. 'Probably about four or five times a week,' Howe said. Howe said he takes the Turnpike to Cleveland every other month. He said he's looking forward to the Turnpike getting rid of the toll booths — which haven't been staffed in several years — and moving to the open road tolling system. 'You don't have to stop, and as long as you have an EZ Pass, you get a discount,' Howe said. Open Road Tolling is already in place on the other side of the state — east of Reading and through Philadelphia. It launched at the start of the year. Work has started here in western Pennsylvania to make the change. Stone poles — called gantries — will hold the overhead technology to read your EZ-Pass device or capture your license plate. The Turnpike Commission said it'll make getting on and off the highway safer. 'Rather than having to slow down or try to change lanes to get into the lane with the toll booth that will read the equipment, we'll eliminate that and we'll be able to collect your toll as you're traveling down the highway at your normal speed,' said Crispin Havener, of the Turnpike Commission. This modernization of the toll system will also allow for more access point interchanges to be built -- like the proposed interchange on Route 130 in Penn Township. 'In fact, we would not be able to build that Route 130 interchange if it weren't for open road tolling because your typical interchange model required a lot larger footprint than we need with open road tolling,' Havener said. While you might see the gantries being built now — like the ones near New Stanton — the Open Road Tolling system here in the western part of the state won't officially launch until January 2027. The old toll booths will be taken out after. Once they're gone, the Turnpike Commission said there will be changes made to those interchanges. 'We'll reconfigure that so that it'll be, we won't need all those lanes, so we'll narrow that down and we'll figure out what to do with the excess space down the line,' Havener said. Havener said Open Road Tolling will save nearly $25 million a year in maintenance costs. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Changes coming to tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — Some people may have seen a recent increase in toll bills on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. 'I normally go down from the Gettysburg exit to the Norristown exit to visit my son and his family,' said Chuck Kundtz, of Cumberland County. 'In December, the bill was $14. So, I looked at my latest [bill] this past weekend, $16.60.' The increase caught Kundtz off guard, so he emailed abc27 News. Local students create mural for a Pennsylvania Turnpike plaza 'I just hope that the public understands that they're going to see a price increase,' he said. Yet, the Turnpike Commission says not everyone will see a bigger bill for a few reasons — starting with two different systems that were approved in July. 'First, it was our annual toll increase that we have been implementing every year for the last several years,' said Crispin Havener, Assistant Press Secretary with the Turnpike Commission. A five percent hike which went into effect on Jan. 5. 'The second aspect of it, in part to the launch of Open Road Tolling in the East, we have changed how we calculate our toll rate,' he added. 'So now across the entirety of the system, there is a per mile rate of $0.07 per mile plus a dollar nine fee per segment, which is the distance between interchanges or gantries for EZPass customers and their increased rates based on if you have a, you know, a tractor trailer or if you're at EZPass versus a toll by plate.' He said how much you save on the tolls also depends on your destination and the vehicle you drive — Kundtz told abc27News he drives an SUV. 'Unfortunately, this trip from Gettysburg to Norristown that you mentioned is not one of those cases,' Havener explained. 'This individual trip is one of the ones that will see a greater increase than others as we work to ensure equity across the entire turnpike system.' You can check out the turnpike's toll calculator if you're curious what your next bill will be. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
