- PA Turnpike Spotlights ORT Conversion Progress
- FBI Issues Alert About Text Scams Targeting Electronic Toll Account Customers
- Oklahoma DOT Seeks Public's Critique Of Community Engagement Processes
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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PA Turnpike Spotlights ORT Conversion Progress
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is well on the way to converting the entire eastern half of its network to open-road tolling (ORT). However, some major work remains to be completed before the January 2025 implementation date, work that’s the topic of a recent post appearing on PTC’s “Stories from the Turnpike” blog. Now that most tolling gantries have been erected, the focus is on connecting electronic tolling gear to fiberoptic lines that have been laid underground along the roadway shoulder. A small building situated next to each gantry will house IT equipment and generators for the new tolling system. PTC vendors are now splicing cable connections from each building into the main fiberoptic line. When that step is complete, several months of toll system testing will begin. After the January launch, the process of converting the western half of the PTC network to barrier-free collection will start.
PTC provides information on the ORT conversion process in a short video. In a recent magazine article, chief engineer Brad Heigel, PE, discusses the expected benefits of the new tolling system.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) ETC Systems Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Intelligent Transportation Systems Open-Road Tolling Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)FBI Issues Alert About Text Scams Targeting Electronic Toll Account Customers
On Friday, the FBI issued a public service announcement about the recent wave of fraudulent attempts to obtain money and personal information from electronic toll collection service customers. The bureau said its Internet Crime Complaint Center has received over 2,000 reports since early March about “smishing” texts sent by actors purporting to represent toll agencies. The complaint information suggests the scam “may be moving from state-to-state.” The FBI adds, “The ‘outstanding toll amount’ [requested in each fraudulent text] is similar among the complaints,” although “the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states.”
A Forbes.com article following up on the FBI announcement looks at the reasons behind the global upsurge in text-based scams that cause $300 million in annual losses in the US alone.
Crime Beat Cybersecurity ETC Systems US Department of JusticeOklahoma DOT Seeks Public's Critique Of Community Engagement Processes
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation announced Friday it is “assessing its community engagement efforts and wants to hear from people across the state about their experiences. The input will be used to improve ODOT’s community engagement efforts. The public is encouraged to respond to the [anonymous online survey] by April 30, 2024.” Public consultation is the latest phase of a comprehensive internal review process that began in August 2023. ODOT defines engagement broadly to include providing information and responding to questions “in an easy-to-understand manner,” as well as “listening to public input” and “collaborating with communities to solve transportation problems.” ODOT Deputy Director Dawn Sullivan commented, “Providing exceptional customer service is a guiding principle of ODOT, and having an honest assessment of how we’re performing is critical for helping us better engage with communities going forward.”
Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) Public Outreach And CommunicationThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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