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IBTTA’s Toll Excellence Awards recognize the very best projects and programs the international tolling industry has to offer. Each year, we celebrate IBTTA toll agency/operator and private sector members whose creative, innovative, and positive programs set a new standard of excellence. You must be an IBTTA member in good standing to be eligible for consideration. For questions about the Toll Excellence Awards Program, please contact Erin Mosher.
2026 Submissions will be accepted March 16 - July 2, 2026.
For categories and guidelines, review the Submit a Project Tab above.
2025 Toll Excellence Awards Winners
Transitional Duty Program
Supporting Recovery, Sustaining Service: Illinois Tollway’s Transitional Duty Program
Launched in 2022, the Illinois Tollway’s Transitional Duty Program has become a model for workforce innovation, blending care for employees with operational strength. The program integrates 24/7 nurse triage, telehealth, real-time injury analytics, and tailored modified-duty assignments to keep staff engaged in meaningful roles during recovery. The results are tangible:
- 71% claims closure rate
- $351,000 in indemnity savings
- 54% reduction in total costs
- 56% fewer lost workdays in 2024
The Illinois Tollway is focused on supporting employees through recovery to ensure they stay connected to their teams and their purpose, while customers benefit from consistent roadway maintenance, reliable service, and safer operations. This proactive, data-driven, and people-first approach has made the Transitional Duty Program a cornerstone of the Tollway’s culture of care and accountability.
Raising Customer and Public Awareness about the Toll Text Scam
Guarding Against Smishing: Ohio Turnpike Protects Customers
In response to a nationwide “smishing” scheme impersonating toll agencies and attempting to collect fraudulent toll charges, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) launched a fast, coordinated multimedia campaign to protect customers and the public. Beginning in April 2024, the OTIC deployed Scam Alerts to more than 600,000 E-ZPass customers, issued four news releases, and leveraged social and traditional media to warn drivers how to spot and report fraudulent texts. A PSA video featuring a local media personality amplified the message, generating more than 323,000 paid views on Facebook, thousands of impressions on Turnpike TV at the Ohio Turnpike’s 14 service plazas, and wide national media coverage including CNBC. The campaign also included updates to the customer service call center IVR, which—together with the outreach—cut weekly call volume by 67% and reduced callback wait times from over an hour to just nine minutes.
By equipping customers with clear instructions, restoring confidence, and providing a model other agencies can replicate, the Ohio Turnpike’s campaign demonstrates how communications excellence safeguards both the public and the industry—earning the OTIC IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Communications.
New York Central Business District Tolling Program and Congestion Relief Zone
Historic First: New York’s Congestion Relief Zone Reduces Gridlock and Advances Access
On January 5, 2025, New York City launched the first cordon-based congestion pricing system in the U.S., the Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP), creating the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan. Despite the highly complex policy and regulatory environment, this project demonstrates how tolling can deliver meaningful public benefits while balancing competing needs. The results have been immediate and measurable: traffic entering the zone has declined 12–13% year-over-year, speeds have improved, bus and paratransit trips are more reliable, crashes and noise complaints are down, and nearly $160 million was generated in the first quarter—on track to fund $15 billion in transit improvements across the region. The program also dedicates $248 million to mitigation efforts, including $100 million for Environmental Justice communities, and provides new discount and exemption plans for low-income drivers and people with disabilities.
Through unprecedented community engagement, careful design, and a seamless rollout, New York’s CBDTP sets a new global standard for social responsibility in tolling—earning MTA Bridges and Tunnels IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Social Responsibility.
Drive Smart Florida: A Behavior Change Safety Campaign
The Central Florida Expressway Authority’s (CFX) Drive Smart Florida campaign is designed to combat the leading causes of preventable crashes on CFX expressways through a targeted behavior change marketing campaign (BCM). Designed utilizing the principles of BCM, which combines psychology with consumer insights to drive action, the goal of the campaign is to foster a culture of safety and courtesy and address the leading causes of crashes on its expressways including distracted driving, speeding, unsafe merging, work zone incidents, and road rage. Rather than relying on fear or guilt, the campaign emphasizes positive reinforcement and practical solutions, helping drivers see the immediate benefits of safe behaviors. CFX conducted in-depth research, segmented priority audiences, and rolled out targeted micro-campaigns such as “Smart Drivers. Safe Workers.” for work zones, “Merge Like a Master” to improve merging, the “Three-Second Rule” to reduce rear-end crashes, and “CARma Your Commute” to counter road rage. Since launching in 2023, the campaign has generated more than 12 million paid media impressions, 3 million earned media impressions, and 35,000 website visits, while building five new community partnerships.
By fostering empathy, engagement, and lasting behavior change, CFX’s Drive Smart Florida has set a new standard for safety communications—earning the agency IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Safety.
Cashless Tolling Conversion
One Night, One System: Kansas Turnpike’s Seamless Cashless Conversion
On July 1, 2024, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) executed a full-system conversion to cashless tolling—one of the most significant technology undertakings in its 70-year history. In a single night, KTA replaced its trip-based ticket system with an advanced per-mile, all-electronic tolling platform, constructing 36 new toll zones with 72 gantries, installing equipment at 42 toll zones, and deploying next-generation roadside collection systems integrated with a new, state-of-the-art back office. At the heart of this modernization is the innovative “One Account” system, which unifies transponder and license plate transactions into a seamless customer experience while improving operational efficiency and revenue assurance. Since launch, KTA has distributed more than 343,000 transponders, achieved rising ETC adoption, and maintained strong collections. A smooth workforce transition and a communications campaign reaching more than 50 million people further supported customer acceptance.
By pairing bold technology deployment with thoughtful implementation, KTA has set a model for industry-wide modernization—earning IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Technology.
Habitual Violator Enforcement Remedies Program
Protecting Revenue, Promoting Fairness: CTRMA’s Habitual Violator Program
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) implemented its Habitual Violator (HV) Enforcement Remedies Program to ensure all road users contribute their fair share to the region’s transportation system. Supported by state legislation, the program employs a graduated approach—beginning with courtesy letters and escalating, when necessary, to registration renewal blocks, prohibition orders, and on-road enforcement. This structured, data-driven process has delivered measurable results: in 2023, 28.6% of habitual violators made payments, monthly revenues increased consistently, and the program achieved an extraordinary 2,171% return on investment. Behavioral shifts are equally significant, with a 55% reduction in repeat violations among those completing the full remedy process. By pairing enforcement with thoughtful customer communications, CTRMA has improved awareness of toll payment obligations and transformed initial opposition into public support. Through technology integration, strategic collaboration, and a fair, transparent process, CTRMA’s HV Program demonstrates operational excellence and sets a model for revenue protection and system integrity—earning IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Toll Operations, Engineering & Maintenance.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels Central Business District Tolling Program
AI-Powered Tolling at Scale: TransCore Powers New York’s Congestion Relief Zone
In partnership with MTA Bridges and Tunnels, TransCore delivered the U.S.’s first congestion pricing system, launched on January 5, 2025, in Manhattan’s Central Business District. Designed for one of the world’s most complex urban environments, the compact all-overhead solution minimized disruption, preserved historic infrastructure, and blended seamlessly into the city streetscape. At its core, the system leverages a novel application of AI and machine vision to process every vehicle as a video-based transaction from all-overhead enclosures, ensuring accuracy and scalability across millions of daily entries. The results have been immediate: tens of thousands fewer daily vehicle entries, improved weekday rush-hour speeds, fewer collisions, drastic reduction in noise complaints, and hundreds of millions of dollars generated for needed transit improvements.
With features like variable pricing algorithms, AI-based video classification, and APIs for multimodal third-party integration, TransCore’s solution sets a global benchmark for congestion pricing innovation—earning IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Private Sector Innovation.
The Use of Data and Data Analytics for Road Traffic Management
Faster Detection, Safer Roads: Valerann's AI-powered Platform Reduces Incident Detection Time and Improves Road Safety.
In collaboration with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Roughan & O’Donovan, Valerann deployed its AI data fusion platform, Lanternn, to enhance real-time traffic management and incidence response on Irish motorways. Lanternn ingests and processes in real time large volumes of structured and unstructured data from multiple data sources - floating car data, roadside sensors, CCTV, navigation apps, weather reports and historical data to deliver an accurate and comprehensive traffic information on a single pane of glass.
Tested on the M1 and M6, the pilot demonstrated on average 25-35 min reduction in incidents detection time, including detection of a multi-vehicle crush within one minute by consolidating 134 individual alerts from 5 sources. The results: faster operator response, reduced congestion and secondary crashes, and higher detection rates, with 47% of M1 and 65% of M6 incidents flagged earlier. Lanternn also detected additional incidents; if scaled nationwide, this equates to up to 20 additional incidents daily.
Hardware-agnostic, cloud-native, and predictive by design, the project demonstrates how AI and the use of data analytics can revolutionize roadway safety and efficiency—earning Valerann IBTTA’s 2025 Toll Excellence Award in Private Sector Innovation.
2026 Submission period: March 16 - July 2, 2026
Be sure to download and reveiw the Guidelines document below. A submission link will be live on Monday, March 16.
Award Categories for Public Sector Members
Eligibility: Toll Agency/Operator/Non-North American Group Members
There are six award categories for Public Sector Members. Public Sector Winner(s) are eligible for the President's Award.
- Administration & Finance
- Customer Service & Marketing Outreach
- Safety
- Social Responsibility
- Technology
- Toll Operations, Engineering & Maintenance
- President's Award - given to the best sumbission overall in Public or Private sectors.
Award Category for Private Sector Members
Eligibility: Suppliers of products or Consulting Services to the industry.
There is one category for Private Sector Members.
- Private Sector Innovation Recognition Award
Up to three (3) organizations who submit a project or program that has in some way furthered the mission of IBTTA and the tolling industry may be given an award.
Past Toll Excellence Awards Winners
Free-Flow Tolling Project
Queensland is Australia’s fastest growing state with more than 1,500 people migrating each week. In the capital city, Brisbane, more than 250,000 trips are recorded on the Gateway and Logan motorway toll roads each day. Over the past decade growing traffic numbers have contributed to heavy congestion, lengthened journey times and reduced trip time reliability. Toll plazas added to the problem, creating a choke point for motorists. In 2005 an AU$1.88 billion upgrade of the Gateway Bridge and motorway was announced by the State Government. It also announced that Queensland Motorways would transition from hybrid cash and constrained lane electronic tolling to a full open-road completely electronic tolling system known as free-flow tolling, prior to the opening of the second Gateway Bridge in 2011. In 2007 the scope of the project increased to include the Logan and Gateway Extension motorways and its delivery was brought forward by two years, to provide the benefits of the system to customers sooner. The new system was implemented to reduce congestion, and improve travel times and safety. Queensland Motorways established partnerships and alliances with leading industry vendors to deliver the major program areas, which included: roadside systems and infrastructure; central back office systems and processes; extensive civil construction works; brand, product and channel development; organisational change management; and Communication and stakeholder engagement. In July 2008, Queensland Motorways successfully delivered the project’s first phase with the introduction of the advanced SAP system for the company’s human resources and payroll processes. This was followed by the delivery of a new SAP finance system in December 2008. In parallel with these activities, the Logan Alliance – comprising Queensland Motorways, BMD Constructions, and Kellogg, Brown and Root– carried out civil works to upgrade interchanges and toll points on the Logan and Gateway Extension motorways. The Leighton Abigroup Joint Venture carried out the civil works on the Gateway Motorway as part of the Gateway Upgrade Project. The works also involved installing 13 tolling gantries and associated infrastructure across the road network. On 1 July 2009 the transition to free-flow tolling began with the launch of the new Central System, eCommerce website, IVR system, brand and suite of product and payment channels. On 22 July, cash tolling on the roadside ceased permanently when the cash booths and toll plazas were closed and the new roadside system commenced full free-flow tolling operation. Queensland Motorways successfully transitioned to the new tolling system, with no unexpected loss of revenue and minimal impact on customers.
TxTag® In-Lane Tag Sales
In 2007, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) identified a customer need to obtain a TxTag® transponder on the roadway as opposed to driving to the Customer Service Center, ordering one through the mail or visiting retail outlet. To meet this demand, the Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) Division of TxDOT created the In-Lane Tag Sales program. This program made TxTag transponders available for purchase at all of their mainline toll plazas on the Central Texas Turnpike System (CTTS) in the attended cash collection lanes. Drivers traveling on Loop 1, State Highway (SH) 45 north, and SH 130 in the Austin, Texas area could now purchase funded TxTag transponders at a mainline plaza for $20 cash, install the tag and use it immediately. The program was well received from drivers on the CTTS, and as of March 2010, more than 120,000 tags had been sold through the In-Lane Tag Sales program. The TTA Division continually strives to provide drivers with customer-centric programs and approaches, representing leadership in the toll industry. The In-Lane Tag Sales program is an excellent addition to that culture, making toll facilities both more user-friendly and more affordable to customers on the go.
Monitoring Success
Considering that the customers of Tollways have higher service level demands compared to the users of non-tolled motorways, a “Monitoring the success” action has been adopted by Attica Tollway. This “Monitoring the success” action is based on the development of a system for monitoring and analysing the trends of the outcome of an urban Tollway and it acts as a mechanism protecting the expected “value” that arises from the payment of toll fee. The major components of this action are the "Key Performance Indicators" (KPIs), which are based, to a great extent, on a multifunctional survey, in reference mainly to safety and customer service.
Salik Toll System - A Model of Toll Excellence
As with many accomplishments in Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) made the impossible possible, and set a few world records along the way. Salik, meaning open or clear in Arabic, is Dubai’s new all electronic, open road tolling (ORT) system. It is a free flow tolling system operating at highway speeds with no plazas, gates, or other impediments to traffic flow. It is maintained completely above the road from walkways inside the cladded gantries, requiring no road closures for regular maintenance. Salik also features the world’s widest free flow tolling zone -- at 40.3 meters (132 feet), spanning 7 ORT lanes in a single direction. Not only was the Salik turnkey toll system deployed in less than a year from study through revenue collection, it deployed technologies not previously attempted in toll collection. These world-record technological advancements clearly represent excellence and extraordinary achievement within the world's transportation industry.
Vehicle Fingerprinting
Submission Category: Operations
In May 2006, 407 ETR implemented Vehicle Fingerprinting, state-of-the-art technology in vehicle recognition, also referred to as Vehicle Data Tag (VDT). The implementation of this leading edge application has had a significant impact. It has dramatically reduced the number of plates requiring manual verification and the number of staff performing this function. 407 ETR’s customers make over 375,000 trips each workday and are sent over 1.3 million toll bills each month. With 20% of these trips being captured by video, a significant amount of revenue relies on being able to accurately identify these vehicles. Experience has shown that plate character information alone is not sufficient for processing some video transactions. VDT technology enhances overall vehicle recognition accuracy by providing the ability to identify vehicles using more than the plate. Available VDT software was integrated with the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software already used by 407 ETR. Considerable customization was required to build the interface between these two applications and to integrate with 407 ETR business rules. VDT technology was piloted in the second half of 2006 to allow for fine-tuning, quality assurance and learning and then was officially launched in the first quarter of 2007.
Sustainability Initiative
The North Texas Tollway Authority's Sustainability Initiative is a multi-faceted approach to environmental stewardship that seeks to improve air quality, protect water resources, and enhance sustainability and aesthetics that ultimately lead to a safer, cleaner, more efficient and enjoyable drive for motorists traveling in North Texas.
Vehicle Fingerprinting
In May 2006, 407 ETR implemented Vehicle Fingerprinting, state-of-the-art technology in vehicle recognition, also referred to as Vehicle Data Tag (VDT). The implementation of this leading edge application has had a significant impact. It has dramatically reduced the number of plates requiring manual verification and the number of staff performing this function.