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.
Charging, Tolling & RUC

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Slow development of Europe's road user charging
    April 24, 2013
    Delegates convened in Brussels for Europe’s 10th annual Road User Charging Conference in March, when both positive and negative developments came to light for advocates of more widespread introduction of RUC. Jon Masters reports. Goings on across Europe in recent months have again demonstrated how very sensitive road user charging (RUC) is politically. At the 10th annual Road User Charging Conference in Brussels at the beginning of March, a Danish delegation was notable for its absence, but Belgian governme
    Read More
  • IBTTA 2010 meeting focuses on sustainability
    February 2, 2012
    Ken Philmus, chief meeting organiser, talks about what attendees can expect to see at this year's IBTTA annual meeting and exhibition
    Read More
  • Infrastructure and the autonomous vehicle
    December 12, 2014
    Harold Worrall ponders the effect of autonomous vehicles on transportation infrastructure. For the last century the transportation industry has been focused on the supply of infrastructure to support the ever growing fleet of vehicles and the greater number of miles covered by each vehicle. Our focus has been planning, funding, designing, building and maintaining roadways. Politicians, engineers, planners, financial managers … all of us have had this focus. We have experienced demand growth since the first
    Read More
  • 3M invests US$1.3 million in tolling technology testing
    April 8, 2014
    3M is investing $1.3million to expand its research center to develop and test tolling and public safety products, and customers can use it too. When 3M opened its Transportation Safety Research Center (TSRC) in the 1970s it was as an extension of its research facilities. More than a showcase for innovation, the center was—and continues to be—a dynamic outdoor laboratory where new traffic materials, systems, vehicle safety and public safety products are tested in real-world conditions. Now, with 3M expanding
    Read More

Highlighted Content