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Tolling Points

Highway Safety, Congestion Relief Projects Headline Toll Excellence Awards

By: 
Bill Cramer
Category: 
Stories

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, the Foothills/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, the Harris County Toll Road Agency, the Central Florida Expressway Authority and CDM Smith are the winners of IBTTA’s 2016 Toll Excellence Awards.

The official award ceremony will take place during the association’s 84th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 11-14 in Denver. That’s when IBTTA will announce the winner of its coveted President’s Award for Excellence.

“These agencies represent the leading edge of excellence, innovation and achievement in the tolling industry," said IBTTA President Earl J. "Buddy" Croft III, Executive Director for the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. "As toll facilities across the globe continue to expand and grow ever more sophisticated, we expect these awards to become even more competitive."

“These honorees represent just a handful of great examples of projects that put into action new ideas and emerging practices throughout our industry,” said IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Pat Jones. “Our honorees have set new benchmarks which all toll agencies can use as a basis for future improvements and innovation.”

Making a Difference Every Day
Here’s what it takes to win a Toll Excellence Award.

  • Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise’s I-4 Connector in Tampa Bay reduced local congestion in the face of surging economic growth and increased truck traffic from the region’s busy port. Traffic along the route has more than doubled in 2½ years, from 22,000 vehicles per day in 2014 to 48,000 today, demonstrating how effectively the project has eased congestion. It’s also removed an estimated 3,400 trucks per day from the streets of Ybor City, one of only two National Historic Districts in Florida.
  • The North Carolina Turnpike Authority built on its interoperability agreements with Florida's SunPass® and Georgia's Peach Pass®, pointing to transponder ownership as an opportunity for customers to pay lower toll rates across the U.S. east coast. The Authority formed a promotional partnership with baseball’s Durham Bulls, the most popular sports franchise in the North Carolina Triangle, and distributed 200,000 promotional inserts with paper invoices mailed to North Carolina residents.
  • The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency is looking forward to a 90 to 95% reduction in vehicle-animal collisions along a six-mile stretch of the State Route 241 Toll Road in Orange County, California, after installing safety fencing and new wildlife undercrossings for cougars, coyotes, bobcats, and deer. The safety fence ranges from 10 to 12 feet in height and features an 18-inch "outrigger" to prevent wildlife from climbing over. It’s buried 24 inches to prevent animals from digging under, and placed in close proximity to the roadway shoulder to minimize native habitat loss.
  • The Harris County Toll Road Authority’s Prohibited Vehicle/Rapid Alert System (RAS) generates an alert directly to law enforcement whenever a vehicle from a list of top 500 prohibited vehicles passes through a tolling gantry. The system makes it easier for deputies to issue citations to habitual violators—and for the agency to keep faith with the vast majority of users who willingly pay their tolls.
  • The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX)’s Wrong-Way Pilot Driving Program confronts a problem that creates an immediate, urgent hazard on any roadway, whenever and wherever it occurs. CFX is the first agency to pilot Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) as a countermeasure for wrong-way driving, with test sites on five ramps along its roadway network.
  • CDM Smith’s National Interstate Tolling Analysis Tool (NITAT) is a one-of-a-kind planning resource for transportation officials. It helps them model potential traffic and revenue impacts of tolling segments of the interstate system that are currently toll-free. The model can compare different options for toll rates, deliver separate analyses for car and truck impacts. estimate capital and operating costs associated with toll collection, and assess impacts on network performance, safety, and fuel consumption.

Get a first-hand look at tolling industry excellence at IBTTA’s 84th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 11-14, 2016 in Denver. It’s not too late to register!

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