NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has selected TransCore to convert all nine of its bridges and tunnels to All-Electronic Tolling (AET). Under an accelerated roll-out schedule, TransCore will finish converting the first three facilities by January 2017. The remaining conversions will be completed through November 2017.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo first announced the New York Crossings Project in October, as a broad initiative to reduce traffic congestion and decrease vehicle emissions for the 800,000 commuters who cross these roads and bridges every day.
“By investing in New York’s transportation network today and equipping it to meet the challenges of tomorrow, we are cementing our state’s position as a national leader in 21st century infrastructure and cutting-edge innovation,” Governor Cuomo said. “From speeding up commutes and reducing emissions on key roadways with automatic tolling to bolstering resiliency on our bridges and tunnels and increasing security at key checkpoints, this transformational project will revolutionize transportation in New York and ensure that our state is built to lead for generations to come,” Governor Cuomo stated when unveiling the new initiative.
The facilities being converted by TransCore include:
- Henry Hudson Bridge
- Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
- Queens Midtown Tunnel
- Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge
- Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge
- Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
- Throgs Neck Bridge
- Bronx-Whitestone Bridge
TransCore will deploy its Infinity∞ Digital Lane System™ on the bridges and tunnels so the existing gated toll plazas can be demolished. Because the MTA ranks as the largest toll agency in the United States, the requirement for this AET system to capture every transaction in a highly accurate and auditable manner was a critical aspect in the technology selection process, along with a proven ability to meet challenging accelerated deployment schedules.
The Infinity system integrates automatic vehicle identification, vehicle classification, and video capture and recognition systems specifically designed to automatically collect transactions in high-volume traffic across a wide variety of traffic speeds and patterns with the highest degrees of accuracy in the industry.
For commuters, the Infinity system will automatically read E-ZPass tolltags, enabling these vehicles to cross the facilities without stopping. Commuters without an E-ZPass will also now be able to drive through unimpeded, as cameras installed on the gantries will automatically read each vehicle’s license plate. Motorists will then receive a toll charge in the mail.
For MTA, Infinity’s fully-integrated digital video audit system also provides auditors with a real-time, user-friendly tool to facilitate end-to-end revenue traceability and auditability.
“We are truly honored that the largest toll agency in the United States entrusts TransCore tolling technology to accurately collect over $1.8 billion in annual toll revenues amidst the world’s most challenging traffic conditions,” said Whitt Hall, senior vice president of Tolling, TransCore. “Our entire team is excited to help implement MTA’s vision for this transformative project in a timeframe that sets a new standard in the industry.”
About MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Created in 1933 by Robert Moses, MTA Bridges and Tunnels serves more than 800,000 vehicles each weekday — over 280 million vehicles each year — and carries more traffic than any other bridge and tunnel authority in the nation. Surplus revenues from the authority’s tolls help support MTA transit services.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels bridges are the Robert F. Kennedy, Throgs Neck, Verrazano-Narrows, Bronx-Whitestone, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial, and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial; its tunnels are the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (formerly Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel) and Queens Midtown. All are within New York City, and all accept payment by E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system that is moving traffic through MTA Bridges and Tunnels toll plazas faster and more efficiently. Eighty-one percent of the vehicles that use MTA Bridges and Tunnels crossings on weekdays now use E-ZPass.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels is a cofounder of the E-ZPass Interagency Group, which has implemented seamless toll collection in 14 states, including New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and West Virginia; tolls are charged electronically to a single E-ZPass account.
About TransCore
A leader in the transportation industry, TransCore provides innovative, technical solutions and engineering services for applications encompassing next generation Open Road Tolling and Traffic Management Systems. We operate award-winning tolling customer service centers for departments of transportation throughout the U.S. and internationally. A pioneer in Radio Frequency Identification systems used in the transportation industry, we secure access for airports, hospitals, parking garages, border patrols, trucking fleets and the rail industry.
TransCore is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Roper Technologies, a diversified technology company in the S&P 500, Fortune 1000 and Russell 1000 indices.
