The Board of Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in the US has decided to demolish all of the Interstate 90 (I-90) toll plazas by the end of next year, to instal All Electronic Tolling (AET) along I-90.

Scheduled to go live on October 28, the AET will also be installed along the Tobin Bridge and Boston tunnels.

The board has given its approval for toll demolition contracts, reviewed data security and retention proposals and instructed MassDOT to go ahead with the public hearings on proposed toll rates and to minimise changes in toll charges for existing commuters.

"The AET system will improve driver convenience and safety and reduce greenhouse gas-causing vehicle emissions."

MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin said: “The AET system will improve driver convenience and safety and reduce greenhouse gas-causing vehicle emissions.

“When toll booths have been removed, AET will allow drivers to maintain regular highway speed as they pass under AET gantries, eliminating the need for drivers to sharply reduce speed and idle in toll booth lines.”

As per approval from the board, the demolition will begin as soon as AET goes live. All work to remove toll plazas and reconstruct roadways is to be completed by the end of next year.

The removal and re-construction of toll plazas, except the Sumner Tunnel, will cost $133m.

The decision on gantry locations was based on a 2012 study and the decision to implement AET was made in 2014, while the MassDOT officials are working with the predetermined gantry locations to make sure rates at the new gantries remain 'revenue neutral'.

According to an estimate by the MassDOT officials, by using AET, the agency will save about $5m in annual operating costs. It is reported that the cost of designing and building the physical AET system is $130m.