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Harris County Toll Road Authority

HCTRA Vision – Creating a Ground-breaking Image Review and Verification System

Award Category: 
Toll Operations, Maintenance & Engineering
Award Year: 
2022

Harris County Toll Road Authority

Award Category: 
Toll Operations, Maintenance & Engineering
Award Year: 
2022

The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) created a ground-breaking image review and verification system that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) while implementing an innovative program for its staff to reach an unprecedented level of accuracy and efficiency in transaction processing. The system went live in 2019, but at that time, it needed constant feedback from human beings to validate and inform the AI system. When COVID-19 struck, HCTRA eliminated the physical collection of cash to protect its staff and pulled toll booth operators from the toll plazas. HCTRA’s commitment to its valued workforce led it to identify opportunities to retain these workers within the agency in roles such as customer service and back-office positions and establish new roles. HCTRA created strategic community partnerships to develop a first-in-the-nation professional certification for image review and form the HCTRA Opportunity Academy. In the past two years, the integration of AI with human capital has delivered a system reaching 99.996% accuracy. By connecting staff to innovative technology and incorporating a one-of-a-kind opportunity program that offers professional growth, HCTRA built on its reputation as an industry innovator with high accuracy of license plate-based transactions per day and preserved the customer experience.