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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
ELIOTT the Virtual Speaker on 107.7 FM Traffic Radio
The SANEF radio broadcasts on the frequency 107.7 Mhz and gives information to clients related to traffic and weather conditions or to any event disrupting traffic flow. However, there is no permanent presence of speakers during the night shift. In order to be able to give traffic information when no “human” speaker is at the studio, SANEF implemented a program that extracts traffic and event information through software and system known as SYLVIA and is broadcast using ELIOTT, a virtual speaker. Therefore, traffic information may still be disseminated on a real time basis in correspondence to changing traffic conditions.
Creation of an Enterprise Geographic Information System (EGIS)
In the endeavor to pursue creative and efficient management practices, the Authority has undertaken an initiative to manage and access their substantial data sets through the implementation of an integrated, enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS). First, the Authority conducted a needs assessment in order to evaluate existing data sets, existing hardware and software, demonstrate how GIS software can be used and finally, develop an implementation schedule. The primary benefit of the enterprise GIS project has been the organization-wide deployment of data and GIS-based tools that provide access to highly accurate and timely data across the organization.
Construction Safety Video
The objective of this project was not only to have all contractor personnel able to be fully trained regarding roadway construction safety and lane closing installation, but also to ensure employees hired after the initial demonstration would have equal opportunity for training without draining the resources of the Maintenance Department, Operations Department or State Police Construction Unit. Also, the availability of this video ensures a standard of training for all contractors over the term of a construction project. The video has not only saved training resources from the aforementioned departments, but it has also reduced downtime spent training the contractors and ultimately decreased the number of safety violations.
Thinking Ahead Communications Project
Like many toll facilities, the Maine Turnpike Authority has operated throughout its history in a political environment in which opinions regarding the very concept of a user fee highway sway from appreciative to disdainful, depending on the particular project or issue at hand. This volatility and the fact that toll facilities are enormously easy political targets has made it difficult for agencies to pursue important long-term initiatives and improvements without fearing that the tide may soon turn, causing projects to be disrupted and resources to be lost. The Maine Turnpike Widening project had been subjected to nearly 30 years of punishing political tidal shifts, resulting in two statewide referendums and several costly starts and stops. Having finally received statewide voter approval to move forward the Turnpike Authority was determined to advance the project in a way that would not only relieve public anxieties about the project at hand, but would strengthen public confidence and trust in the Authority's ability to undertake future projects and initiatives.
Duty Free Archeological Mitigation
The Blue Water Bridge Authority has successfully completed a comprehensive archeological mitigation program to allow the construction of a new duty store. This was a complicated program to engineer, as it required the utmost care and sensitivity on the part of the Authority in handling the cultural and spiritual concerns of the Aamjiwnaang (Chippewas) First Nation Community. Some of those concerns were in regards to the responsible disinterment and re-interment of several burial sites within the project area. Ingenuity in engineering techniques was used to minimize impact to the site and maximize the amount of the site that could remain undisturbed.
Traffic Forecasting and Dissemination of Information
The initial objective of traffic forecasting was to provide information support for motorway operations, in planning road maintenance work, in decision-making for implementing operations measures, for toll station shift organization, and other needs. However, with the increasing emphasis on customer service, there is the clear need to enable the public at large to benefit from traffic forecasts so that each driver can best prepare his or her travel plans. Therefore, in addition to the usual information diffusion means traditionally used to inform its customers about traffic conditions (the radio station, the telephone information center, and the variable message signs), ASF now provides a new traffic forecasting service based on the two-fold principle of "dynamic" and "personalized" information. This new service, which has been on line since summer 2001 on the ASF Web site (www.asf.fr), provides ongoing and evolving information which specifically responds to the users requests. Thanks to historical data gathered on the whole network and processed with powerful and "state-of-the art" statistical techniques, customers have now on-line personalized traffic forecasts allowing them to choose the right time to plan their trip on the motorway.
Incident Management Program
The program required the development of cooperative partnerships with various departments associated with HCTRA, and outlines an immediate plan of action required from any and/or all participating agencies. In addition to HCTRA's Incident Management Team, such agencies include Constable deputies from five precincts that have jurisdiction on the toll road system; various fire departments; HAZMAT; assisting maintenance and environmental clean-up contractors, etc. along with key HCTRA departmental personnel. The program is in place to ensure a preplanned and coordinated response to incidents on-or-affecting the Toll Road system, as well as outlining effective media/public awareness communications procedures. HCTRA's Incident Management plan also called for the development of a motorist assistance program to assist patrons (free of charge) with minor automotive emergencies and remove stalled or incapacitated vehicles from the road as quickly as possible. The agency's Patron Emergency Assistance Team (PEAT) began as a pilot program and has been enthusiastically welcomed by HCTRA patrons. PEAT plays an integral part in achieving the program's objectives and its planned expansion will provide total coverage of the entire toll road system and extended service hours.