Toll Excellence Award Winners Deliver Safer, More Reliable Mobility
A groundbreaking wildlife conservation plan, a pro-active traffic management system using real-time GIS, and an innovative approach to financing public-private partnerships (P3s) are among the winners of IBTTA’s prestigious 2019 Toll Excellence Awards.
You’ll want to be in the room for the awards ceremony during IBTTA's 87th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 15-17, 2019 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. That’s when one of the recipients will receive the global tolling industry’s highest honor, the President’s Award for Excellence.
This year’s awards reflect the rapid transition sweeping the transportation sector, and the creativity and strategic thought with which tolling industry leaders are responding.
“For nearly two decades, IBTTA has recognized toll agencies, authorities and businesses world-wide that seek out innovative solutions to deliver safer, more reliable mobility,” said David Machamer, Chair of IBTTA’s Toll Excellence Awards Committee and Assistant Executive Director for Toll and PIKEPASS Operations with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. “We applaud our 2019 Toll Excellence Award winners for groundbreaking achievements that are already helping drivers reach their destinations, safely and on time.”
The winners include:
- To Transurban, the Administration and Finance Award, for a unified credit program that earned a one-notch rating upgrade for a new eight-mile segment of the 395 Express Lanes in Virginia;
- To the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority, the Customer Service and Marketing Outreach Award, for a patient, consistent approach to communication and outreach that overcame community opposition to an elevated median toll lane to complete the long-awaited Selmon West Extension Project;
- To the Central Florida Expressway Authority, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, the Social Responsibility Award, for purchasing 3,400 acres of new conservation land, building 1.5 miles of wildlife bridges, and incorporating a suite of other wildlife conservation measures in their plan to complete the 25-mile Wekiva Parkway;
- To the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Technology Award, for a new web-based geographic information system (GIS) that combines real-time data feeds, video, radar, and much more to help duty officers respond pro-actively to traffic flow and travel times across the state system;
- To the Illinois Tollway, the Toll Operations, Engineering and Maintenance Award, for a new Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) robust enough to support an ambitious, multi-year capital program that is expected to boost transaction volume by at least 45 percent and revenues by at least 50% through 2027; and
- To Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC), the Private Sector Innovation Award for the Central United States Interoperability Hub (CUSIOP Hub), a nationally compliant interoperability system that facilitates transaction processing, reporting and reconciliation for seven participating agencies across the region.
“Each award winner has taken on a tough transportation challenge and worked with partners to find a practical solution,” said IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Jones. “We’re incredibly proud of the work they’ve done to represent our industry.”
To learn more about each award winner, you can read IBTTA’s press announcement here or visit our website.