Charging, Tolling & RUC

The Texas Department of Transportation Commission has awarded the design-build contract for segments H&I of State Highway 99/Grand Parkway in the Houston area to Grand Parkway Infrastructure, a joint-venture of Ferrovial Agroman US, Webber and Granite Construction. The US$855 million project northeast of Houston spans 52.5 miles through Chambers, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties and will substantially increase capacity along SH 99 with the construction of one to two new tolled lanes in each direct

Star Systems International’s Stephen Lockhart, explains how ISO 18000-6C can boost both interoperability and data security in RFID tolling applications. As more states, municipalities and agencies deploy electronic tolling solutions to generate funds and reduce congestion at tollbooths, there have been increased calls for standardisation in the industry.

A bill seeking to end Florida’s practice of developing tolled express lanes has been rejected by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, according to Florida Politics. Part of the debate centred on those who argued that high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are economically unfair and a safety concern, but opponents said such lanes are the only way to add traffic capacity. Bill sponsor Democratic state Representative Matt Willhite of West Palm Beach argued that his bill was a safety measur

The European Union's transport commissioner is calling for a Europe-wide car toll system that would enable motorists to use all European roads without having to stop at borders, says Associated Press. Many countries in the EU have highway toll systems, but they are separate and work in different ways. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc said every country could decide for itself whether it wants a car toll system, but those that do should participate in a standardised electronic system. Bulc plans to

Germany's Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, has passed a law which would see the introduction of a road toll for cars registered abroad with prices linked to environmental criteria, according to Reuters. Under the toll, cars that pollute less will pay a lower rate. The maximum annual cost for a foreign vehicle would be US$141 (€130). Originally proposed in 2015, the law was disputed by the European Commission and other European countries, which claimed it would be discriminatory towards non-Germ

Transport Certification Australia (TCA), the national government administrator of the telematics and related intelligent technologies, has worked with Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA) to implement a new road charging solution, which represents a further application of the National Telematics Framework. This new application leverages the use of certified telematics to monitor heavy vehicle road use, enabling road and transport agencies to determine road use for charging purposes. The application gi

Nedap has expanded its long-range identification portfolio with an external UHF antenna, an Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) converter and MACE (Mobile Access Control Entities) access cards.

We talk to Emanuela Stocchi, the first overseas-based female president of IBTTA and well placed to view tolling on both sides of the Atlantic. As incoming president of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), Emanuela Stocchi aims to bolster the ‘international, mobility and connections’ elements of the US-based tolling organisation.

Managed lanes throughout the US are off to a good start in 2017, according to Fitch Ratings in its latest managed lanes peer review. Actual performance is so far exceeding Fitch’s rating case for the sector as a whole, with 95 Express in Northern Virginia and NTE (segments 1 and 2) in Texas proving to be notable examples. Also boosting long-term prospects for managed lanes is the performance on the longest operating facility, SR-91 in Orange County, California. This state road is seeing strong compound a

Carole Défossé, communication & information manager at Asecap, previews the association’s forthcoming annual meeting. With 72% of Europeans moving by car and 60% of freight being transported by trucks, road infrastructures are central to Europe’s mobility and toll roads form a key part of those networks.