Skip to main content

MassDOT to start all electronic tolling in October

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is to move ahead with plans to completely demolish Interstate 90 toll plazas by the end of 2017 as a milestone in the state’s progress toward all electronic tolling (AET) along Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), the Tobin Bridge, and Boston tunnels. MassDOT has announced that AET will go live on 28 October and says the system will improve driver convenience and safety and reduce greenhouse gas-causing vehicle emissions. “When toll booths
August 25, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 7213 Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is to move ahead with plans to completely demolish Interstate 90 toll plazas by the end of 2017 as a milestone in the state’s progress toward all electronic tolling (AET) along Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), the Tobin Bridge, and Boston tunnels.
 
MassDOT has announced that AET will go live on 28 October and says the system will improve driver convenience and safety and reduce greenhouse gas-causing vehicle emissions.  “When toll booths have been removed, AET will allow drivers to maintain regular highway speed as they pass under AET gantries, eliminating the need for drivers to sharply reduce speed and idle in toll booth lines.

MassDOT is working with the Executive Office of Public Safety to establish clear policies for the use and retention of AET data and is in discussions with public safety officials about the very limited circumstances in which AET-generated ‘hot list’ or other information could be used in the case of public safety emergencies.

MassDOT officials estimate that the agency will save about US$5 million in annual operating costs with AET.  The cost of designing and building the physical AET system is about US$130 million and toll plaza removal and reconstruction, excluding the Sumner Tunnel, will cost about US$133 million.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Voting for change - the democratisation of transportation
    December 8, 2014
    Contra Costa is using an innovative planning method to gather suggestions and craft future transportation spending plans. Public opinion in matters relating to transport rarely exceeds complaints about congestion on the roads, crowded metros, slow buses with ‘exorbitant’ fares or perhaps enforcement cameras.
  • TEXpress adds reversible managed lanes
    April 19, 2017
    Land availability restrictions and tidal traffic flows have led to the implementation of a novel managed lane configuration in Texas, as Colin Sowman finds out. Dealing with traffic congestion related to the ‘tidal flows’ caused by large numbers of commuters making their way into major business hubs in the morning and returning to the suburbs in the evening, has seen the widespread use of adaptive signal timing and even reversible lanes.
  • IBTTA elects first VP
    October 4, 2016
    The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association's (IBTTA) has elected Tim Stewart, executive director of the E-470 Public Highway Authority to serve as its first vice president Stewart’s term begins on 1 January 2017; in 2018, Stewart will serve as IBTTA president. As the head of E-470, Stewart provides executive leadership and strategic guidance for all tolling initiatives. Stewart is responsible for the operations of the 47-mile toll road and also the ExpressToll brand, which provides tolling
  • CES 2019 says hello to the future
    February 20, 2019
    The launch of the latest gadgets has made the Consumer Electronics Show into tech heaven for geeks worldwide – but there is a serious ITS component, too. Ben Spencer braves the bright lights of Las Vegas to find out more The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been the showcase for some of the world’s most iconic gadgets – from VCRs to the Commodore 64, and from the camcorder to the launch of HDTV. This has made CES a mecca for tech heads all over the world since it began in the 1960s, but these days it