N.H. aims to install E-Z Pass by spring

CONCORD, N.H. – Travelers with E-Z Passes should be able to zip through some New Hampshire toll booths this spring and perhaps all by Memorial Day.

Gov. Craig Benson and Transportation Commissioner Carol Murray announced Friday that the state hopes to complete the $20 million E-Z Pass installation before summer vacationers begin hitting New Hampshire’s toll roads.

They expect perhaps 200,000 people to buy the $30 transponder needed to pass through special toll lanes and get billed later on their credit cards. Murray said consumers will be able to pay for the transponder over several months if they prefer.

Benson said no decision has been made on what discount – if any – New Hampshire may offer to entice consumers to switch from using tokens, which are discounted 50 percent.

Last session, lawmakers voted against reducing the discount for tokens and giving one to E-Z Pass users. They left it to the governor and Executive Council to set discounts on toll roads.

Murray would like to start testing the new system on the Spaulding Turnpike, which runs along the Seacoast from Portsmouth to Rochester, instead of the busier Hampton plaza on Interstate 95. She said the turnpike has more commuters and the toll booths can’t be expanded.