There was a ribbing cutting along the Tri-State Tollway in Markham today, opening a new kind of toll plaza.
The 163rd Street Toll Plaza on Northbound I-294 is now the Markham Toll Plaza.
“We are not just renaming a plaza,” said Tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse. “We are rethinking how these tollway facilities serve the public, with safer truck parking, new technology, and environmental upgrades that will benefit the community for years to come.”
Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa took part in the ribbon cutting.
“We worked with and sat with the Toll Authority about a highway that goes through a community and they understood the importance of having things that were eco-friendly and that were green,” he said.
Rouse said they’re “bringing real improvements to drivers and truckers in one of the busiest freight corridors in this region.”
Upgrades include EV charging stations, parking for semi-tractor trailers with power connections and in-person I-Pass services.
The building, itself, is powered by an array of solar panels that were installed along the expressway.
And, Rouse said, they planted native trees and shrubs on the property.