AC Expressway: The Truth About Those Big Boxes You See

Within the last year or so you've probably seen those big rectangular structures pop on the sides of the Atlantic City Expressway.

What are they? Where did they come from? What are they doing there?

It's progress. That's what it is. Progress.

Those big structures on the Expressway are called Gantrys

The big rectangular boxes sitting on the side of the Atlantic City Expressway are actually called gantrys, and they will soon be placed above lanes of the roadway.

As a matter of fact, this week, crews will be using cranes to lift and install gantrys over the Eastbaound and Westbound lanes of the Expressway at Milepost 4. Installation is scheduled for Thursday night (June 19th). You can expect some traffic slowdowns, but the South Jersey Transportation Authority says there should be no road closures.

Over the last several weeks, many of the structures have already gone up over the roadway.

Here's why the structures are going up

The purpose of these structures is to aid in toll collection. It's 2025 and the toll booths on the Expressway will soon be fading off into the sunset.

It's already happened in many other states, and New Jersey is just the latest state to move away from toll booths.

Going forward these structures will be a big part of a cashless Atlantic City Expressway. Will traffic flow improve? Well, maybe. EZ Pass has certainly sped things up over the last 25 years, so this process will continue that trend.

If you're old enough, do you remember the days before EZ Pass when the Expressway wasn't very "expressy", and traffic would back up for miles at the toll booths?

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How will I pay my toll?

The new structures are going to capture either your EZ Pass account or they'll snap a photo of your license plate, and you'll be billed for your toll usage.

For those paranoid about moving to a cashless society, this is your fear realized. Yikes!

SOURCE: South Jersey Transportation Authority.

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