A new $23 million E-Z Pass-only interchange is expected to open in late spring.

The new Route 903 All-Electronic Interchange will provide additional access to and from the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeastern Extension (Interstate 476) in the Pocono Mountains.Located in Carbon County between the Mahoning Valley (Exit 74) and Pocono (Exit 95) exits, the new interchange (Exit 87) will shorten travel times for commuters and ease seasonal congestion at neighboring interchanges by providing visitors to the nearby recreational destinations with an exit and entry point at Route 903 in Penn Forest Township.Along with new northbound and southbound on-and-off-ramps, the project includes construction of a new bridge over the turnpike and widening on Route 903 to accommodate turn lanes to the turnpike ramps.Traffic signals will also be installed at the intersection of Route 903 with the new ramps.The project is 100 percent funded by toll dollars, and is being coordinated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.Along with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the project team includes New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc. as the general contractor, CECO Associates Inc. as the project designer, construction management by TCMS (Trumbull Construction Management Services), and public outreach by Bergmaier Communications and EarthSky Studios Inc.Carl DeFebo, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said the project is in the construction phase."The contractor has had a little bit of a rougher time because of the weather," DeFebo said. "The project is going to be a little delayed; we're looking at a late June opening."DeFebo said due to the number of snowstorms and ice in that area, it's been difficult for the contractor to complete parts of the project."The contractor who's building the ramps and other facilities, will be done sometime in May," he said. "Then another contractor will have to install and test the E-Z Pass equipment, and the turnpike will be involved in assisting with the testing."DeFebo said there are three primary benefits to the E-Z Pass-only interchange: Convenience, efficiency and safety.It's convenient, DeFebo said, because it is one of the longer stretches (just shy of 20 miles) of the northeastern extension currently without an interchange, so it will be reducing the distance of interchanges by half.It's more efficient because motorists won't have to backtrack to reach the interchangeOn Route 903, the new exit will take traffic from a narrow state route and hopefully increase traffic on the four-lane turnpike system, reducing some of the volume on Route 903 and minimizing traffic hazards."More than 77 percent of our customers today on the turnpike pay with E-Z Pass," he said. "We have not constructed any new traditional interchanges because we believe E-Z Pass and electronic tolling is really the future of the turnpike."DeFebo said E-Z Pass interchanges cost a lot less to construct "because you're not building a toll plaza with multiple toll booths in it."This will be the fourth such interchange, as three currently exist in the Greater Philadelphia area, he said.He said the turnpike is headed to an All Electronic Tolling system, which would be E-Z Pass or a Pay-By-Plate video tolling system by around 2018-2019.The next stage of the conversion will begin early next year, DeFebo said.