Toll Excellence Awards, Student Scholarships Spotlight Innovation in Global Tolling Industry

The tolling industry’s top innovators and some of its most promising future leaders were in the spotlight in Atlanta last month during IBTTA’s 85th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Atlanta.

On the Monday morning of the conference, as Hurricane Irma was preparing to blow into Atlanta, the association’s coveted Toll Excellence Awards were bestowed on the Indiana Toll Road (ITR) Concession Company, Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority, the North Texas Tollway Authority, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Road and Transport Authority in Dubai and Raytheon Co.

“Whether you are driving in Dallas or Dubai, the goals of providing customers with greater mobility and safety remain the same,” said IBTTA President Emanuela Stocchi, Director of International Affairs for AISCAT (Associazione Italiana Società Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori), the Italian Association of Toll Highways Concessionaires Companies. “The award winners are implementing solutions to complex, global transportation challenges.”

The IBTTA Foundation also awarded two $5,000 scholarships to civil engineering students Miranda Simon of North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND and Andrew Bunn of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

“We are thrilled to present these scholarships to support Miranda and Andrew in their studies.” said IBTTA Executive Director and CEO Patrick Jones. “Transportation is an exciting and growing field, and we hope these scholarships will encourage the next generation of transportation leaders.”

The ITR Concession Company won its Toll Excellence Award in the Administration and Finance category for the highly successful procurement approach it adopted for its $220-million 80/90 PUSH Project. NTTA won the Social Responsibility Award for a nation-wide safety campaign on texting and driving.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike earned IBTTA’s Technology Award for 511PAConnect program, a cross-agency communications tool for establishing two-way communications with trapped travelers. The Road and Transport Authority received the Engineering and Maintenance Award for smart road initiatives associated with the Salik Toll System Expansion. Raytheon was the Private Sector Innovation award winner for its work on an all-electronic tolling solution for I-90 in Massachusetts and three Boston river crossings.

SRTA won the Customer Service and Marketing Outreach Award for Commuter Credits, a three-pronged pilot program that provided alternatives to solo peak-hour travel along Atlanta's congested I-85 corridor. SRTA also won the most coveted award, The President’s Award for their Commuter Credits program.

See an innovative global industry in action! Register today for IBTTA’s International Summit of Rome, October 15-17, 2017 in Rome, Italy.