The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has announced the six winners of the 2017 Toll Excellence Awards, which are all revolutionizing mobility for drivers around the globe by implementing cutting-edge solutions to 21st century transportation challenges.
The annual awards presented by IBTTA, recognize innovative strategies to help ease traffic flow, relieve congestion, and increase safety for the global driving public. The awards will be presented during IBTTA’s 85th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, September 10-12 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and one recipient will be honored with the prestigious President’s Award for excellence. Recipients of the 2017 Awards are:
• Administration and Finance Award – Indiana Toll Road Concession Company (ITRCC) for the extremely successful procurement approach adopted for the US$220m SR 80/90 PUSH Project, which used a highly aggressive schedule via early contractor engagement, running concurrent procurement processes, and maintaining a high degree of interaction and transparency with prospective contractor partners;
• Customer Service and Marketing Outreach Award – State Road and Tollway Authority (Georgia), for its three-pronged Commuter Credits pilot program that focused on providing alternatives to travelling solo during the peak periods on Atlanta’s congested I-85 corridor, including Shift Commute, Start a Carpool, and Ride Transit;
• Social Responsibility Award – North Texas Tollway, for its role in a nationwide ‘Red Thumbs’ safety campaign aimed at raising awareness to end texting and driving, and encourage drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times;
• Technology Award – Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, for its 511PAConnect program, a cross agency collaborative framework for addressing roadway closures and trapped queue situations, and a communications tool for establishing two-way communications with trapped travelers;
• Toll Operations, Engineering and Maintenance Award – Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) in the UAE (top), for the Salik Toll System Expansion project’s smart initiatives benefitting almost three million existing customers on the toll road, including enabling 80% of all tolling transactions and interactions to be coordinated online, and to increase mobile adoption to 25% by 2018;
• Private Sector Innovation Award – Raytheon for successfully implementing a ‘Statewide Design-Build-Maintain’ All Electronic Tolling (AET) system on the Massachusetts I-90 and three Boston river crossings achieving a ‘Go-Live’ date of October 2016 (above).
“Whether you are driving in Dallas or Dubai, the goals of providing customers with greater mobility and safety remain the same,” said Emanuela Stocchi, president of the IBTTA. “The award winners are implementing solutions to complex, global transportation challenges.”
