Motorists may now keep on rolling with cashless tolling on all 12 Oklahoma turnpikes. The last turnpike to switch to open road tolling occurred early Wednesday morning on the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike corridor between Tulsa and the Missouri state line.
Starting today through early December, the Will Rogers cash lanes at the Big Cabin toll plaza will be open to traffic for non-stop travel to accommodate the larger volume of vehicles traveling through Oklahoma for the holidays. While motorists may travel through those cash lanes at Big Cabin, they will not have to stop to pay tolls but instead pay them online. Signage is in place alerting motorists to keep moving. Motorists on the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike corridor should be alert for intermittent lane closures after Thanksgiving when demolition of the toll booths and toll plaza areas is expected to begin, weather permitting.
As part of the move to all electronic tolling with PIKEPASS and PlatePay, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority also launched on Wednesday a brand refresh of the PIKEPASS logo and of pikepass.com. Those visiting the website will find the updated logo, new colors enhancing the look and feel, improved navigation and content. The website platform is built on enhanced technology and is mobile responsive.
The PIKEPASS logo debuted in 1991 when the Authority first launched all electronic tolling on the turnpike system. This is the first update to the PIKEPASS brand in 33 years. The most striking change to the refreshed logo is its color scheme. Gone is the red that so many identified as vehicles stopping at cash toll booths. The logo is now a deep blue that transitions to green to convey to customers that they now will enjoy non-stop travel across the turnpike system. A secondary use of the new logo provides an updated tagline as well. It hits home that Oklahoma’s turnpikes are Safe. Efficient. Reliable.
The new logo will be updated in phases across the Authority’s communications. It will be updated on turnpike signage only as signs need replacing for other reasons such as age and condition.
A New Era for Tolling
PlatePay, the system replacing cash toll booths, helps create a free flow of traffic and eliminates sudden speed changes when motorists maneuver lanes to stop at a toll booth and then re-enter high-speed traffic. Eliminating these conflict points significantly increases safety on Oklahoma’s turnpike system, which saw more than 500 crashes at tolling booths in the six years prior to cashless conversion starting in 2021. This change also offers customers the ability to conveniently pay their tolls online and never be distracted by reaching for cash while driving.
The Authority began working on cashless tolling by testing it on a small section of the Creek Turnpike in Tulsa starting in 2017. By 2021, the John Kilpatrick Turnpike corridor in Oklahoma City was the first to convert to cashless tolling. The Authority accelerated its initial cashless conversion plan from 10 years to just more than four years due to safety concerns for both motorists and employees. Overall, the conversion process cost nearly $60 million to complete.
PlatePay cameras photograph a vehicle’s license plate, enabling the Authority to send the vehicle’s registered owner an invoice for their turnpike travel. Motorists without a PIKEPASS will receive a bill in the mail or they may look up and pay their toll amount online at www.platepay.com about five days after traveling a turnpike.
PIKEPASS remains the most cost-effective way to travel Oklahoma turnpikes, providing customers the lowest toll rate. The toll tag also offers seamless travel on turnpikes within our partner states including Kansas, Texas and some toll roads in Colorado and Florida. To open a PIKEPASS account, visit PIKEPASS.com or call 1-800-PIKEPASS (1-800-745-3727). Learn more about PlatePay at PlatePay.com.
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority launched a refreshed PIKEPASS logo and website Wednesday afternoon to coincide with the final cashless conversion on the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike.
