Austrian transportation technology giant Kapsch TrafficCom has been selected by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to upgrade the tolling systems on the Interstate 15 (I-15) Express Lanes and the State Route 125 toll road (South Bay Expressway) in California.
Kapsch will replace all in-lane equipment and provide a state-of-the-art software support system that monitors and controls all roadside equipment and data. The project will allow SANDAG to offer its customers a more seamless journey on both roadways by implementing modern technology and streamlining all maintenance and operation activities. The I-15 Express Lanes and South Bay Expressway currently operate on separate systems.
Kapsch will initially provide a single, fully-expandable system at 36 toll points along a 20 mile-long (32km) stretch of I-15, and at 16 toll points along the entire 10-mile length (16km) of the South Bay Expressway. The company will manage the project locally from its regional office in San Diego County, and both highways are expected to be upgraded and the system fully operational in the second half of 2019. Future expansion of the system is also possible.
Kapsch will install new Vehicle Detection and Classification (nVDC) sensors at all toll locations along the I-15 Express Lanes and the South Bay Expressway. The nVDC is an innovative and versatile 3D sensor and processor product that uses streaming stereoscopic video to identify, track, and classify vehicles through the entire toll zone, and correlates license plate images with vehicle transponder reads to ensure accurate toll transaction processing.
The nVDC can provide a visual confirmation for vehicle classification across multiple lanes of free-flowing traffic, and does not require any additional in-pavement equipment, thereby lowering maintenance costs by reducing the need for road closures. Kapsch will provide maintenance support for all technology deployed for the life of the project.
“We look forward to working with SANDAG to streamline its operations with new technology,” said Chris Murray, president of Kapsch TrafficCom North America. “Integrating the two roads within a single system will provide an efficient and consistent way for drivers to travel in the San Diego region.”
Ray Traynor, SANDAG’s director of operations, commented, “We are committed to improving the experience of our customers who use the SR 125 South Bay Expressway and the I-15 Express Lanes. Kapsch technology will streamline our toll collection operations into one system, a benefit for all our customers.”
