TYNE Tunnel entrances will be reduced from ten lanes to just two in each direction as part of plans to “speed up travel time and reduce congestion" from November.

The tunnels, which continues the A19 north from Jarrow, near South Shields, will make the move as it stops accepting cash as it moves to "Open Road Tolling."

As part of the plans, all toll booths will be removed as drivers will travel straight through without stopping, instead paying using a pre-paid account or paying later.

Plans to scrap the current system in favour of a more updated one, also used at the likes of the Dartford Crossing, were confirmed last month.

Read more: Tyne Tunnel announce major change to way drivers pay - and not everyone is happy

At the time, it received significant backlash with many taking to social media to share their concern over the risk of forgetting to pay later and receiving a fine.

The Northern Echo: The toll booths will be removed The toll booths will be removed

But Tyne Tunnell bosses have now confirmed some of how the new system will look as it said a number of lanes will close as the old toll booths are removed in coming months.

However, they have said the tunnels will eventually only ever have two lanes in each direction so that the journey from the A19 remains "seamless" for everyone using it. 

Bosses previously said that a lack of needing to stop will then free up drivers to continue their journey, reducing CO2 emissions and "significantly" reducing congestion.

Although a date has not yet been revealed for when the new system will come in, bosses have already confirmed the project will go live in November.

A spokesperson for TT2 last night said: "Customers will soon be able to drive straight through the Tyne Tunnels without stopping as part of ‘Tyne Pass’.

"TT2 will go live with the project in November 2021, as it moves to an Open Road Tolling system.

"The move will significantly reduce congestion and reduce CO2 emissions from idling vehicles, leading to much smoother journeys for everyone.

"The upgrade necessarily means paying cash at the point of crossing will no longer be available, and TT2 is encouraging customers to sign up to a Pre-paid account for free where they will save 10 percent on every journey.

"Once you sign up to your account, Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras will recognise your vehicle and automatically deduct the toll from your account.

"There will be a number of other ways to pay for customers without a Pre-paid account. Customers can go to www.tt2.co.uk and pay for one-off journeys using their vehicle registration as the reference.

"Customers can also pay by automated phone line (call 0191 574 0030), or those that prefer traditional cash or card payments can visit one of the hundreds of PayPoint retailers in the Region."

They added that drivers will be able to pay for as many as ten journeys at once, up to a year in advance or pay by midnight the day after the journey using their chosen method.

Currently, it costs £1.90 for a single journey which can either be paid using the options above, or by placing coins into a collection machine at the toll booths.

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