Orlando’s Central Florida Expressway Authority Unveils Interstate Pass
First New Toll Pass To Work Across Florida As Well As East and Midwest USA
Orlando’s Central Florida Expressway Authority announced today the availability of the Florida’s first new toll pass to be compatible on CFX roadways, other Florida toll roads, and, crucially, nearly all toll roads across the East Coast, New England and Midwest United States. Today’s announcement comes less that three months after CFX began accepting E-ZPass on Orlando-area toll roads. Until now, only North Carolina’s QuickPass was compatible with both E-ZPass and Sunpass.
In a written news release today, Brian Hutchings, spokesman for CFX, wrote that E-Pass Xtra is the “CFX response to the Moving Ahead for Progress in 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which requires all U.S. highway toll facilities to adopt interoperable technologies or best practices so drivers can travel across toll roads without the need to change transponders or open new accounts.”
Graphic: Central Florida Expressway Authority
MAP-21 was passed as part of the U.S. Congress’ 2012 highway authorization bill, and it required states across the country to introduce compatible technologies no later than October 2016. No funding authorization accompanied the mandate, but there was also no enforcement provision, and most states did not meet the deadline.
Florida Drivers Get First Interstate Transponder Option
The availability of the E-Pass Xtra gives Florida drivers their first option for acquiring a toll pass that will be compatible with E-ZPass systems across the East Coast and Midwest, as well as the QuickPass and PeachPass systems in North Carolina and Georgia, respectively. SunPass, issued by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, is currently not compatible on roads outside the Lower Atlantic region.
E-ZPass, IPass Still Only Work In Orlando
While Florida drivers now have an interstate toll pass option, drivers using E-ZPass, RiverLink or IPass will still only be able to use their transponders on Orlando roads, unless they purchase the E-Pass Extra, themselves.
There is also the option to use Florida’s Sunpass, but that transponder is compatible only in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. While Sunpass has been negotiating since at least 2016 to achieve interstate toll compatibility, no new date for compatibility has been announced. Previously-announced target dates in 2017 were missed on at least two occasions.
Photo: Central Florida Expressway Authority
The new E-Pass Xtra unit is currently available only as a portable transponder unit, according to CFX, and can be acquired by visiting the CFX website to purchase a transponder unit or by visiting EPASSXtra.com. The unit, pictured here in a CFX photo, includes both the E-Pass and the E-ZPass logos.
The new pass will cost drivers $18.50 to purchase, and CFX will require a minimum balance of $10.00 once an account is opened.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story reported the E-Pass Xtra was the nation’s first new toll pass to be compatible with Florida roads and much of the East Coast and Midwest. E-Pass Xtra is, in fact, Florida’s first new toll pass with such compatibility.
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