NHDOT Meeting Tonight To Discuss ‘Change’ at Rochester Tolls

Or maybe the correct phrasing should be 'No Change', as in, 'No Cash'.

The conversion to an all electronic system is imminent at both the Rochester and Dover tolls on the Spaulding, and the details for 'The Lilac City' tolls will be discussed Thursday night online.

Out of caution for public safety due to COVID-19, this meeting is being held entirely online through Zoom tonight at 6pm and the corresponding link with passcode can be found right here.

According to the press release, the booths will be taken out and eventually the three resulting lanes will have overhead gantries that will read each vehicle's transponder.

I have many conflicting feelings about this.

On the plus side, I'm excited that the days of going 55mph, then dropping drop to 25mph, then back up to 55mph will be over!

They've had the high speed lanes in Hampton for years now and I still feel like I'm getting away with something when I rip through there at a mile a minute.

However, I have a couple friends that specifically work the tolls as NHDOT employees and I'm concerned for their future employment.

Additionally, the nostalgia of human contact with toll workers will be lost forever.

I honestly still say, 'Can I have a roll of tokens and take two out?' every single time I roll through there and I've had EZ Pass since 2015.

Asking for change in entirely singles when we were headed to Chuck E Cheese or The Dream Machine? And then, later in life, for a visit to Route One for bachelor parties?

And don't get me started on hitting a hook shot from the passenger seat over the roof and into the basket? I had a higher percentage than Larry Bird!

Such happy memories!