The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) is announcing that due to reduced overnight traffic due to the effects of COVID-19, the toll booth cash collections on the Newport Pell Bridge going westbound will temporarily be suspended from 9pm to 5 am, effective Thursday, March 26th, until further notice.
The westbound toll booth (towards Jamestown) will be open for cash collections during the day from 6am. to 9pm However, from 9pm to 6am, RITBA will close the toll booths and send all traffic through the open road tolling (ORT) lane. The tolls will be collected utilizing the existing open road tolling (ORT) technology. This technology reads E-ZPass transponders for tolling. If a vehicle does not have a transponder, a photograph of the vehicle’s license plate will be taken, and a bill will be mailed to the address of the registered owner of the vehicle. The billed toll amount will be the same as if the vehicle were paying at the toll booth with cash or credit card. The toll booths heading eastbound (towards Newport) will remain open 24 hours per day, which will allow emergency vehicles and local traffic to continue to utilize the Conanicus Avenue on-ramp.
The tolls can be paid via mail, at the dropbox located at the Jamestown office, online at www.ezpassritba.com, or over the phone Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm at 1-877-743-9727. RITBA is encouraging customers to sign up for E-ZPass and utilize the online tools available to manage their accounts and pay for tolls, as call volume is expected to increase as a result of these changes. RITBA is asking its existing customers to log in to their accounts and update all vehicle, address, and credit card information to avoid unpaid tolls.
The closure of the westbound toll booths from 9pm to 6am will necessitate the closure of the East Shore Rd., Jamestown exit just beyond the toll plaza, which will affect motorists who use that exit during those hours. This closure will require a detour by taking the next exit, Beacon Avenue.
