All-electronic tolling will continue permanently on the Cape Coral, Midpoint and Sanibel Causeway bridges under a plan approved Tuesday by the Lee Board of County Commissioners.

The approved plan also means the board will return to the same tollway fee structure that was in place before the pandemic, including re-instating a $3 administrative fee motorists who do not have transponders. The fee was suspended last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board also voted to conduct a public hearing at a yet-to-be determined date to eliminate the current motorcycle toll discount to be consistent with the State’s SunPass program. (The discount is for $1 or $4, depending on the bridge.)

Transponders used for all-electronic tolling are available, free of charge, at www.leewayinfo.com.

The county reported the benefits of continuing all-electronic tolling include:

* Easing traffic congestion

* Enhancing driver and employee safety

* Maximizing the technology capabilities already in place at the toll plazas

* Mirroring changes made to Florida’s SunPass program

In March 2020, cash transactions were eliminated due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the county handled tolling through transponders or by pay-by-plate, in which license tags are photographed as vehicles pass through the toll plazas. March 2020 also was when the $3 administrative fee for each pay-by-plate transaction was suspended.

Now that all-electronic tolling will be the standard going forward, the $3 administrative fee for toll-by-plate will be reinstated in October. That means the toll on the Cape Coral and Midpoint bridges will be $2 with a transponder and $5 for pay-by-plate, including the administrative fee. Likewise, the toll on the Sanibel Causeway will be $6 by transponder or $9 for toll-by-plate.

Also – if approved after a public hearing – motorcycles will pay the same rate as standard passenger vehicles. This would begin in October.

The county will implement a communications campaign to ensure motorists and stakeholders are aware of the changes before autumn.

For more information on LeeWay, Lee County’s tolls program, go to https://www.leewayinfo.com.

Source: Lee County Government