E-ZPass/Smart Tag can help

BY PATRICK OWENS - Staff Writer
Published: July 28, 2008

No one likes waiting in line at the toll booth. And it’s worse when people ahead of you accidentally drop their coins on the ground and get out of their cars to pick them up.

And it’s even worse when you’re that person.

So you can take a little of the hassle out of your commute by getting an E-ZPass.

The E-ZPass, formerly known in Virginia as Smart Tag, is a transponder that mounts to the inside of your windshield. As you drive through a toll plaza, the toll is automatically deducted from a pre-paid account. Toll plazas have lanes reserved just for E-ZPass users. But if you have an E-ZPass, you can still use any lane at tollbooths in the Richmond area.

In Virginia, the E-ZPass is in use on the following toll roads.

-Dulles Greenway
-Dulles Toll Road
-Powhite Parkway Extension
-RMA Expressway System, including the Downtown Expressway, Powhite Parkway and the Boulevard Bridge (Nickel Bridge)
-Pocahontas 895
-George P. Coleman Bridge
-Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
-Chesapeake Expressway

E-ZPass also is in use in the following states: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Just be aware that the main Powhite toll plaza just south of the James River is undergoing expansion. There will be construction equipment and changing lanes in the area during this project, which is slated to be finished this fall.

You can apply for an E-ZPass by phone at (877) 762-7824 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. TTY users can call (800) 828-1120.

Also, you can visit the Richmond-area service center at 175 Wadsworth Drive. Or go to http://www.ezpassva.com, click on FAQ and then “How can I open an E-ZPass account?”