News Feature | September 20, 2016

Technology Is Changing How We Monitor Our Roadways

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

risk-based monitoring technology

Survey finds Toll Technology is transforming mobility for customers.

Technology is revolutionizing tolling, allowing increased mobility and reducing congestion, improving safety and reliability, and helping boost economic growth according to a study by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA). The 2016 National Tool Technology Survey was released during the IBTTA’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Denver and highlights the dramatic transformations in mobility for customers and toll attendants alike.

As demonstrated in the report, Toll Technology Transforms Mobility for Customers, the ongoing rise in the use of electronic and video tolling with the accompanying decrease in the use of cash on toll facilities point to an increasingly high-tech future for tolling and transportation throughout the country.

“As All-Electronic Tolling (AET) expands, people and goods travel more efficiently, helping to spur more robust economic growth,” said Earl “Buddy” J. Croft, III, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, and IBTTA President. “Across the nation, more tolling agencies are turning to AET as a proven congestion-buster that delivers a safer, more predictable ride for users who need to reach their destination on time.”

The survey was conducted during Q3 of 2016 and collected technology-related data from 36 tolling facilities across 18 states nationwide. The study found:

  • cash use declines as new technologies are implemented
  • between 2010 and 2015, 19.3 million more electronic transponders have been deployed on American roads
  • between 2010 and 2015, toll accounts rose from 19.9 million to 32.7 million, an increase of more than 64 percent
  • participant toll facilities saw a combined revenue increase of $4.7 billion between 2010 and 2015

These figures are big news for municipalities and state agencies looking to technology to streamline processes and increase revenue. “Technology is transforming today’s driving experience as more states move away from cash tolls and embrace cashless solutions,” Patrick D. Jones, Executive Director and CEO of IBTTA explained. “Colorado and Washington — with the exception of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (SR16) — already have statewide AET, and Massachusetts plans to deploy AET statewide this October.”

An earlier IBTAA report, National Toll Facilities Usage Analysis, found the use of toll facilities increased by 7 percent between 2014 and 2015, a record-breaking rate of growth that puts tolling use on pace to double in less than 10 years.

“This data offers us a stunning illustration of how technology has rapidly altered the transportation landscape in the last several years,” said Jones, “and forecasts the increasing role it is certain to play well into the future.

“As more tolling innovations make their way through the technology pipeline, and as the industry works toward achieving interoperability nationwide, drivers are looking at a user-focused future enhanced by ever-evolving technologies that continually improve convenience and safety on America’s highways, bridges and tunnels.”

Meanwhile, Texas is debating the removal of tolling on its roadways altogether, a move many legislators say would come at a high price. The Texas Department of Transportation researched the cost of eliminating tolls on its highways, estimating that it would be at least $24.2 billion and would increase over time, according to TxDOT executive director James Bass.

And despite widespread complaints from drivers regarding the high cost of traveling toll roads, usage is increasing rapidly. Texas had collected more than $54 million in tolls by the end of the 2016 fiscal year, $19.2 million higher than TxDOT estimates.