They've stood idle for almost eight years, collecting little more than dust and rust – and the occasional vehicle.

But the cash toll booths at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge are finally about to be pulled down over the summer holidays when traffic drops.

When electronic tolling started on the Harbour Bridge in January 2009, Roads and Maritime Services said there was not a set timetable for the removal of the old booths but that it might take up to a year.

Almost eight years later, the government agency said it planned to complete an upgrade of the tolling for the bridge by the end of the year, including tag testing of new toll gantries which have been erected over the past few months.