The Bay Bridge and all other toll areas in the state of Maryland are now cashless to slow the spread of COVID-19, meaning drivers should not stop at toll booths for cash payments.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order Tuesday morning for all toll facilities to switch to electronic tolling effective Wednesday afternoon, until further notice. That way no bills or cash will exchange hands. Drivers should proceed through toll booths without stopping. If you use E-ZPass, nothing changes. If you don’t, drive through the regular cash lane and a video tolling system will read your license plate and issue a bill in the mail.
Usually, video tolling charges are higher than the regular toll rate, but in light of this emergency measure, video tolling will charge drivers the same rate they pay in cash (at facilities that normally accept cash).
In response to the executive order, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) will also close all E-ZPass customer service centers. Drivers should use ezpassmd.com instead. MDTA says it is establishing grace periods for notices of tolls due, citations, and expired E-ZPass discount plans.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
