FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 6, 2018
CONTACT: Bill Cramer, Communications Director
[email protected] or 202-210-2962 (mobile)
International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association Recognizes emovis with “Private Sector for Innovation” Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) announced emovis has received the 2018 Toll Excellence Award for “Private Sector Innovation” for the company’s work on the New Mersey Gateway Bridge project in Cheshire, England.
IBTTA, the worldwide association representing the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them, presents the Toll Excellence Awards annually, to highlight the very best projects, innovations and solutions from the international tolling industry. IBTTA’s Toll Excellence Awards assists in the transmission of new ideas and emerging practices throughout the industry to benefit the driving public around the globe.
“emovis continues to be a private sector leader in our industry for their implementation of innovative practices promoting greater mobility for drivers,” said Patrick Jones, Executive Director and CEO of IBTTA. “The 2018 Toll Excellence Awards are presented to an international list of tolling authorities responsible for developing creative strategies and new technologies to meet the demands of the driving public. We congratulate emovis on this well-deserved recognition.”
Private Sector for Innovation Award: emovis
New Mersey Gateway Bridge - The New Mersey Gateway Bridge in Cheshire, England is an innovative response to a seemingly impossible situation faced by many local transport authorities around the world. Congestion on the aging local bridge had reached dangerous levels, with traffic volumes that risked community access to essential services on either side of the River Mersey. With no government funding available, the community knew it would never have the funds to complete the project unassisted.
The Silver Jubilee Bridge over the River Mersey, built in 1961, constitutes a vital link for the residents of the Halton borough. Fifty-five years later, the bridge was approaching 10 times its intended traffic capacity, with daily peaks of up to 85,000 users in late 2017.
The community wanted a second bridge across the River Mersey. But funding from the national government was denied due to scarce public funding resources. With the responsibility pushed back to the borough council, it fell to a community of 125,000, with an annual budget of just over $130 million, to fund an $800 million infrastructure project.
To get the mobility it needed, the community accepted tolling on the existing bridge as well as the new one, after traffic modeling indicated that revenue from the new structure alone would not cover capital and operating costs. Given a choice between tolling both bridges or having no new bridge at all, the borough council overwhelmingly supported the project, as did local businesses and most residents.
Halton needed an experienced toll service provider that could capture and channel the community’s vision. emovis met that challenge with an innovative tolling solution that earned community support, while delivering the revenues the borough needed to meet its contractual obligations.
David Machamer, Chair of IBTTA’s Toll Excellence Award Committee and Assistant Executive Director for Toll Operations with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said, “Each year the committee sees a growing number of entries from both the public and private sectors. The process has become quite competitive with entries from across the globe. The industry is proud to share the good works, successful projects and solutions to advance the tolling and transportation industry.”
You can view the full list of 2018 winners, by visiting this link. The awards will be presented during IBTTA's 86th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, October 14th – 16th in Baltimore, Maryland. One recipient will be honored with the prestigious President’s Award for Excellence during the awards ceremony.
For more information about the awards or to interview any of the award recipients, please contact Bill Cramer, Communications Director, IBTTA, [email protected]; 202-210-2962.
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About IBTTA
The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve tolling. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in 20 countries on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st Century. For more information, visit www.ibtta.org or join us on Twitter @IBTTA or #TollRoads.
About emovis
With over 550 employees worldwide, the company operates some of the world’s largest All Electronic Tolling infrastructures in the UK, Ireland, U.S. and Canada.
Present in the U.S. for over 40 years, emovis was among the first to introduce electronic tolling on the Golden Gate Bridge in the 90’s. The company has always been at the forefront of innovative user-fee models. The company in actively involved in trialing Road User Charge. In 2017, it was awarded the Washington Road User Charge pilot project (www.waroadusagecharge.org) and in July 2018, emovis successfully delivered the U.S. first Truck Tolling Back Office to Rhodes Island Department of Transportation. The company is 100% owned by Abertis, the world’s leader in highway concessions (5000 miles of roads). This backing makes emovis a long-term and reliable partner for Road Authorities and Toll Agencies.
Media Contact: Benoît ROSSI | Head of Corporate Communication & Marketing
Email: [email protected]