The state Thruway's first highway-speed E-ZPass tollbooth lanes have opened this morning at the Woodbury toll plaza in the Hudson Valley.
Northbound motorists with E-ZPass are now able to pass the Woodbury toll plaza -- Exit 16 at Harriman -- at 65 miles per hour. Southbound service is expected to be available beginning at 4 a.m. Saturday.
Officials say the new capability will relieve congestion at the heavily traveled toll barrier located in Orange County, 45 miles north of New York City. Five lanes at the Woodbury plaza were demolished to allow creation of four highway-speed E-ZPass lanes, two northbound and two southbound.
Traffic at Woodbury averages about 42,000 vehicles daily, peaking at about 62,000 vehicles on holiday weekends.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
