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Florida's Mid-Bay Bridge Connector Says Goodbye to Toll Plazas

For those without a SunPass, the tolling system will take a photo of their vehicle's license plate to send a bill to the driver's address.

Toll plazas and toll takers will be a thing of the past on the new Mid-Bay Bridge Connecter near Niceville, Fla.

Instead, the road will feature  Toll-By-Plate, an image-based electronic tolling system located just north of the Rocky Creek Bridge.

"That's the wave of the future, just like everything else," said Jim Vest, executive director of the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority. "We might as well take advantage of that technology and be up to date with everything."

The 11-mile connector is the last piece of a limited access route from State Road 85 just north of Niceville to U.S. Highway 98 in Destin.

The $140 million connector opened Saturday afternoon.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, drivers with a Florida SunPass will be charged $1 to drive on the connector, Vest said. It will cost $1.50 without a SunPass.

For those without a SunPass, the tolling system will take a photo of their vehicle's license plate to bill the address of the driver.

Drivers can create a prepaid account with Toll-By-Plate and avoid a $2.50 administrative charge.

Those without the prepaid account will receive a monthly bill that includes the administrative charge.

(c)2014 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)

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