Last week, the Mobility Authority attended the 2016 International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) Annual Conference in Denver to exchange ideas with transportation agencies across the world, and share new innovations and best practices. An overall theme of the entire conference was the importance of collaboration between agencies, the private sector, and the traveling public. Together, we can identify and implement innovative mobility solutions to protect and strengthen quality of life.
We’d like to share some of the great ideas and interesting facts we learned at the conference.
ONE
The flagship project of the conference was Colorado’s E-470, a 47-mile toll road on the eastern edge of Denver which provides commuters a choice to save time on a reliable route. What was previously called “the road to nowhere” in the early 1990s, E-470 is now a heavily used corridor that has spurred widespread economic development in the area.
The toll lanes are so well used that the facility is in need of additional lanes. Using an innovative contracting mechanism called Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/CG), they are currently widening the toll lanes, adding a bicycle/pedestrian path, planning for future widening, and building sound walls for new residents that now line the facility. 
We got to tour their Command Center, which is used for 24/7 incident and traffic management. Our MoPac Express Lanes will have a similar center when the project is up and running. You can learn more about it in our next Expressway News e-newsletter.
TWO
 Colorado DOT will soon be reconstructing 10-miles of I-70 East, adding an Express Lane in each direction, removing an aging elevated section, and lowering the interstate for a short stretch of the corridor. This lowered highway will be enclosed with a four-acre cover; the first highway cover project in the state. The cover will provide an active and vibrant area with opportunities for sports games, outdoor movies, concerts and farmers markets.
In his remarks, Executive Director Shailen Bhatt with Colorado DOT said that his agency doesn’t build roads because they like nice pavement, they do it to improve quality of life.
This project is very similar to one option TxDOT is evaluating on I-35 through downtown Austin. To learn more about TxDOT’s Central 7-mile Comprehensive Project, please click here.
THREE
Central Florida Expressway Authority provides an on-road, drive-through customer service lane for drivers to reload cash on their toll tag account or other customer service actions like opening an account or getting a toll tag sticker. This is the first of its kind in the continental United States. All a motorist has to do is drive up to the marked “Reload Lane” and the attendant takes care of the rest. The whole process usually takes just a few minutes.
Since the Mobility Authority went cashless in 2008, we continue to look into opportunities to redevelop the mothballed toll booth lanes on 183A in Cedar Park for alternate uses.
FOUR
Did you know that since the 1970s, all of the highways in the country of Slovenia are toll roads? Their toll tags are called “vignettes” and are sold at gas stations in Slovenia and neighboring countries, at post offices in Slovenia, and at some magazine stands. Vignettes are used in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. Prices for an annual vignette for passenger cars range from approximately $35 to $170, depending on the country.
The Mobility Authority accepts TxDOT’s TxTAG, NTTA’s Toll Tag, and HCTRA’s EZTAG on 183A and 290 Toll. If you open an account with TxTAG and load $20 in prepaid tolls, you’ll save 25% off the Pay By Mail toll rate. You can add money to your account when the balance gets low, or you can sign up for AutoPay (automatic replenishment), so you never have to worry about how much money is in your TxTag account. If you enroll in AutoPay, you will receive your TxTag stickers for free. Learn more about TxTAG and open an account here.
FIVE
Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) owns and operates 483 miles of toll roads and services approximately 2.3 million customers every day. With traffic increasing substantially, traffic congestion and delays occur during peak hours of the day. After an extensive study, FTE is now adding express lanes on many of their tolled facilities to provide reliable travel during rush hour. About 50% of surveyed Floridians were favorable to paying an additional toll to drive on the express lanes. These lanes would be for toll tag users only. For more information on this project, click here.
The MoPac Improvement Project will be the first express lane project in the Central Texas region. However, we learned at IBTTA that it’s a trend commuters can expect to continue seeing across the country—because they work. While the addition of traditional lanes will only result in those lanes filling up just as quickly, express lanes are a truly effective congestion management tool that go beyond adding capacity. Learn more about how the MoPac Express Lanes work here.
|
ffairs, gave a presentation about the Mobility Authority’s social media program during the panel on content marketing and new media in the digital age. The Mobility Authority’s social media approach is all about conversation and talking about more than just pavement.
