Tolling won’t begin until late this year, but drivers may soon notice cameras in place on the toll gantry located at the north end of the Abraham Lincoln Bridge, near Court Avenue.
Two cameras are scheduled to be installed overnight, and should be in place by early morning on Friday, August 5. Testing the cameras is part of preparations for all-electronic tolling. Thousands of images are expected to be captured in the coming days.
Tolling won’t begin until cross-river capacity is added to the system. That means either the improved Kennedy Bridge will be fully open to six lanes of I-65 southbound traffic, with six lanes of I-65 northbound traffic on the adjacent Lincoln Bridge, or the new East End bridge will be open to traffic. Both are expected to happen late this year.
Lane Closures
Lane closures are scheduled overnight to accommodate the installation of the cameras:
Two lanes of I-65 North will be closed near the north end of the Lincoln Bridge.
The lanes are scheduled to close around 9 p.m. and reopen by 5 a.m. on Friday. The exit from I-65 North to Court Avenue will remain open.
All-Electronic Tolling
RiverLink is the new, all-electronic tolling system making the Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project possible. There are no toll booths, no coin machines, no lines and no stopping. Initial toll rates range from $2-$12. The lowest toll rates are for drivers with transponders. Drivers must set up a prepaid account to get a transponder.
A driver can choose to open a prepaid account, but not get a transponder. In this case, a driver has a registered plate. A camera captures and recognizes the license plate and the appropriate toll is deducted from the prepaid account. Rates are $1 more per crossing because of higher administrative costs.
If a driver chooses not to set up a prepaid account, the license plate will be photographed on each crossing, and an invoice will be sent in the mail to the registered owner. Drivers without a prepaid account – no transponder and no registered plate — will pay the highest toll rates because of higher administrative costs.
RiverLink Accounts
Drivers started setting up RiverLink accounts July 21, and two customer service centers opened for business. Nearly 2,000 RiverLink accounts were opened in the first week of operations.
Drivers can open a personal account online at the RiverLink.com secure website, by phone with a customer service representative (855-RIV-LINK) or in person at one of two RiverLink customer service centers.
Businesses are encouraged to call 855-RIV-LINK as the fastest and easiest way to open a commercial account.
To open an account, a driver will need to know a vehicle’s make, model, year, color and license plate number.