Daily News Briefs, December 28, 2023

Pennsylvania Turnpike Spotlights 2023 Advances And Looks Ahead To 2024

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) issued a news release “reflecting back on a year of immense progress . . . while also looking ahead to one of the biggest changes in its 83-year history.” The agency’s list of 2023 highlights includes:

• recording a 3.3 percent increase in volume over first 11 months of the year (compared to the same period in 2022);
• investing $690 million in “roadway maintenance and improvements to modernize the Turnpike and improve customer experience,” including a record total of roadway reconstruction miles and replacement of two major bridges;
• breaking ground on construction of the southern section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway;
• ending FY 2023 at $60 million (14 percent) under its operating budget;
• receiving upgraded credit ratings from Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global;
• obtaining survey results that indicate 80 percent of customers find the turnpike system a convenient way to travel, and 61 percent report having an excellent or very good travel experience in terms of convenience, optimal highway speed, safety and road maintenance  conditions;
• helping secure legislative approval of a statute that makes the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program permanent; and
• receiving two IBTTA Toll Excellence Awards, to become the first agency to win more than one such award in a single year.

As for next year, PTC “will continue construction on one if its most transformative projects,” conversion of its entire network to an Open Road Tolling (ORT) system. According to the news release, “ORT is expected to go live east of the Reading Interchange (Exit 286) to the New Jersey line and along the entire Northeastern Extension (I-476) in the beginning of 2025, with points west of Reading expected to become operational in 2027.” PTC will also further advance installation of a fiber optic network adjacent to its more than 560 miles of highway. Installation projects east of Harrisburg are complete; those west of Harrisburg are already underway.

See the news release for a complete recap of PTC’s annual operations and accomplishments, as well as links to information on the commission’s major projects and programs.

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New Jersey Bill Would Give Officials More Authority To Enforce Toll Payment

Shore News Network reports on pending legislation that would bolster toll collection and energize payment enforcement in New Jersey. S1472 proposes, among other things, to establish due process for a toll violation enforcement process with the potential to culminate in suspension of a scofflaw’s vehicle registration. It would also authorize NJDOT to enter into reciprocal enforcement agreements with other states that operate toll facilities. An amnesty provision of the bill, effective for just 180 days after final passage, would discount the amount owed by violators with unpaid tolls totaling more than $500. S1472 would apply to all toll facilities within New Jersey. If it is not acted on before January 8, 2024, the first day of the state’s next legislative session, it will require reintroduction.

The state’s Office of Legislative Services advises TRN that the bill has not been prefiled for consideration in the next session as of today. Prefiling is not a prerequisite to the bill’s introduction in the next session.

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Gary Richards, Bay Area's "Mr. Roadshow" Columnist, Dies

The Mercury News reports, veteran transportation journalist Gary Richards, the man behind the newspaper’s “Mr. Roadshow” column, died last week at age 72 following a long illness. His final contribution to the newspaper appeared on the morning of his death. From the column’s beginning in 1991, Richards was a “tireless advocate” for Bay Area motorists, transit riders, cyclists and pedestrians who relied on him to answer questions, explain complex policies, and “bring their frustrations to the attention of the transportation officials who could do something about them.” One of his editors described Gary as “a treasure in our community and in our newsroom,” and added, “Our roads are safer, and there’s a good chance your commute is smoother, thanks to his Mr. Roadshow column.”

On Saturday, The Mercury News posted a selection of condolence and remembrance letters that testify to the Mr. Roadshow column’s influence and the respect and affection readers held for Gary.

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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