This specific toll booth has some character and I hate seeing it go!

Over the last year or so we've been following along as the majority of toll booths in the Hudson Valley have started to become a thing of the past. We've talked about how the New York State Thruway is mostly cashless today, and before you know it all of the bridges in the Hudson Valley will be cashless as well.

We've written out and explained the timeline as to when you can expect to be cashless to reach your area. We've learned new words like "gantry", we've discussed how some of us are actually going to miss toll booths and today we begin our goodbye to one of the coolest looking toll booths in the Hudson Valley.

Tolls booths are soon going to be one of the things we talk about to our kids that date us. I can already hear myself saying, "I remember when I was was younger we used to have to stop and pay money to cross this bridge...LOL!"

The New York State Bridge Authority announced on Facebook this week that demolition of the toll booths on the Rip Van Winkle Bridge has begun. If you've never crossed the "RIP" which crosses over the Hudson River and connects Catskill and Hudson, you've missed out on seeing what I think is a really cool toll booth, it's one of the only ones with some character...

New York Bridge Authority/Facebook
New York Bridge Authority/Facebook
loading...

We begin to say goodbye today as the bridge authority has announced that contractors have begun dismantling the toll plaza at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and ar3e reminding drivers NOT to stop at the toll booths anymore. They also said that by spring traffic crossing the bridge in both directions will have "seamless lanes of travel."

The Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge and the Mid-Hudson Bridge are the next crossings to go cashless. We have more information on the timelines for those projects here.

26 Highest Paying Jobs in New York State

It's getting harder and harder to make ends meet living in New York State. So we researched the 26 highest paying jobs in the state. Hudson Valley Post analyzed the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to craft our list.

These 40 Flashback Images of the Galleria Will Make You Totally Nostalgic

The Poughkeepsie Galleria has gone through some major changes in the past 34 years. Scroll down for a trip down memory lane. How many of these stores do you remember shopping at?

Shocking Number of Deer Are Dying All Over New York

More From Hudson Valley Post