Goodbye to One of the Coolest Toll Booths in Upper Hudson Valley

This specific toll booth has some character and I hate seeing it go!

Over the last year or so we've been following along as the majority of toll booths in the Hudson Valley have started to become a thing of the past. We've talked about how the New York State Thruway is mostly cashless today, and before you know it all of the bridges in the Hudson Valley will be cashless as well.

We've written out and explained the timeline as to when you can expect to be cashless to reach your area. We've learned new words like "gantry", we've discussed how some of us are actually going to miss toll booths and today we begin our goodbye to one of the coolest looking toll booths in the Hudson Valley.

Tolls booths are soon going to be one of the things we talk about to our kids that date us. I can already hear myself saying, "I remember when I was was younger we used to have to stop and pay money to cross this bridge...LOL!"

The New York State Bridge Authority announced on Facebook this week that demolition of the toll booths on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge has begun. If you've never crossed the "RIP" which crosses over the Hudson River and connects Catskill and Hudson, you've missed out on seeing what I think is a really cool toll booth, it's one of the only ones with some character...

We begin to say goodbye today as the bridge authority has announced that contractors have begun dismantling the toll plaza at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and ar3e reminding drivers NOT to stop at the toll booths anymore. They also said that by spring traffic crossing the bridge in both directions will have "seamless lanes of travel."

The Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge and the Mid-Hudson Bridge are the next crossings to go cashless. We have more information on the timelines for those projects here.