Tolls are coming to the First Coast region, just not as soon as had been announced.
On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Transportation postponed toll collection from its anticipated Jan. 12 start date at five waypoints on the newly constructed State Road 23, also known as the First Coast Expressway.
“We’re making sure the tolling equipment is working perfectly, it’s calibrated,” FDOT spokeswoman Sara Pleasants told First Coast News on Wednesday. There are also some minor construction elements still in the works.
"The ramps at New World Avenue – making some adjustments there,” Pleasants added.
The first stretch of the FCE - a stretch of roughly 15 miles – connects Interstate 10 with Blanding Boulevard to the south. Since the road opened, drivers have been allowed to use the road toll-free. Other segments essentially creating an outer beltway all the way to I-95 south of St. Johns County Road 210 are forthcoming.
Despite the delayed tolls, FDOT is encouraging drivers who use such roads to acquire a SunPass transponder device as soon as possible.
“A SunPass might make a great stocking stuffer,” said Pleasants, pointing out that SunPass holders pay less than drivers who default to being billed by their car’s plate.
To wit, the FCE segments connecting New World Avenue with Normandy, and Normandy with 103rd Street will cost SunPass holders 20 cents, everyone else 45 cents. Those connecting 103rd with Argyle Forest, Argyle with Oakleaf Plantation Parkway, and Oakleaf with Blanding will all cost 60 cents and 85 cents for SunPass holders and everyone else, respectively. Drivers traveling the entire stretch will pay either $2.20 or $3.45, the lower amount being charged to pass holders. Drivers who are tolled by their plate are charged an additional one-time fee of $2.50 each calendar month in which they use the tollway, regardless of how many times they use the road in that particular month.
There are two types of transponder: the “mini” and a plastic device. The “mini” is a sticker that costs $4.99 and must be affixed to an individual car; the plastic device costs $19.99 and has suction cups that allow it to be moved from one vehicle to another. There is no subscription cost to use a SunPass and transponders are available at such retailers as CVS, Walgreen’s, and Publix. They’re also available through SunPass itself.
The steps are simple: first, purchase your preferred type of transponder; second, go to www.sunpass.com to create an account; third, choose a method of toll payment (e.g. credit card, debit card, PayPal, etc.) and select manual or automatic replenishment. SunPass holders who have insufficient balance to cover a toll will be charged the fee charged to non-holders.
There will be no toll booths and therefore no cash collection on the First Coast Expressway; collection is automated by use of overhead gantries that either read the transponder or take a picture of the car’s license plate. The camera flashbulbs on the First Coast Expressway gantries are already going off, but FDOT says the units are currently in a test phase it calls “shadow” mode, meaning they’re not taking photos and drivers aren’t being billed. A new start date hasn’t been announced but is expected to be in early 2019. Updates will be broadcast on First Coast News and here at firstcoastnews.com.