Toll plazas and toll takers will be a thing of the past on the new Mid-Bay Bridge Connecter.
Instead, the road will feature Toll-By-Plate, an image-based electronic tolling system located just north of the Rocky Creek Bridge.
“That's the wave of the future, just like everything else,” said Jim Vest, executive director of the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority. “We might as well take advantage of that technology and be up to date with everything.”
The 11-mile connector is the last piece of a limited access route from State Road 85 just north of Niceville to U.S. Highway 98 in Destin.
The $140 million connector opened Saturday afternoon. It will be toll-free until midnight today.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, drivers with a Florida SunPass will be charged $1 to drive on the connector, Vest said. It will cost $1.50 without a SunPass.
For those without a SunPass, the tolling system will take a photo of their vehicle’s license plate to bill the address of the driver.
Drivers can create a prepaid account with Toll-By-Plate and avoid a $2.50 administrative charge.
Those without the prepaid account will receive a monthly bill that includes the administrative charge.
TO LEARN MORE: To learn more about the system or to register, visit www.tollplate.com.
