Cherokee Turnpike to use cashless tolling

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has converted the Cherokee Turnpike to PlatePay or cashless tolling, according to a news release.

Drivers can travel between near Chouteau, Okla., to near Kansas, Okla., cashless, according to the release.

PlatePay cameras photograph a vehicle’s license plate, enabling the Turnpike Authority to send the vehicle’s registered owner an invoice. Drivers without a Pikepass will receive a bill in the mail, according to the release.

Pikepass is the electronic toll collection system developed for the Oklahoma turnpike system.

PlatePay helps create a free flow of traffic and eliminates sudden speed changes when motorists maneuver lanes and stop at a toll booth, according to the release.

The conversion to PlatePay also means drivers can use the PlusPass app on the Cherokee Turnpike. The app allows motorists to access their accounts on the go and pay tolls via credit card, PayPal or prepay with cash. Drivers using PlusPass will see a savings of about 25% compared with PlatePay customers, according to the release.

Drivers should expect intermittent lane closings as crews work to remove old toll equipment in the coming weeks, according to the release.

This marks the eighth Oklahoma toll road to offer fully cashless tolling. The Cherokee Turnpike joins the John Kilpatrick, Kickapoo, H.E. Bailey, Chickasaw, Gilcrease, Cimarron and Creek turnpikes in offering PlatePay. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority plans to transition the state’s remaining four turnpikes to fully cashless tolling by the end of 2024, according to the release.