Daily News Briefs, July 23, 2024

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OK Turnpike Expects To Issue Separate RFPs For Transponder Fulfillment And Mailhouse Services

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) has issued two RFP pre-solicitation notices.

It intends to seek proposals from qualified service providers for transponder inventory, management, and distribution services. The services involve business-critical support for the distribution of OTA transponders. The anticipated release date for the RFP is July 30, 2024, and more information is available online via CIVCAST.

OTA also intends to seek proposals from qualified service providers for mailhouse services. Those services include providing business-critical support for the production and distribution of statements, invoices, notifications, and all other customer communications regarding OTA’s tolling program. The RFP’s anticipated release date is also July 30, 2024. More information is available online via CIVCAST.

ETC Systems Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) Procurement of Tolling Equipment & Services

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CFX's Visitor Toll Pass Program Gets New York Times Recognition

The New York Times’ “Frugal Traveler” column spotlights the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) Visitor Toll Pass™ program for rental car customers at Orlando International Airport. “Could this be a model for other destinations?” the column’s subheading asks. “The program — which the toll authority says is the first of its kind in the nation — aims to ensure that a traveler’s last memory of a trip to Orlando is not being gouged by fees for a rental car transponder.” CFX executive director Michelle Maikisch said the agency devised the program in response to complaints about allegedly exorbitant charges that many people mistakenly assumed CFX, not the rental car companies, was responsible for setting. “While the Visitor Toll Pass program remains limited to Orlando’s main airport rental car facilities, the pass works on all toll roads and most bridges throughout the state.”

Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) E-PASS ETC Systems Florida Orange County FL Metro Area (Orlando) Rental Car Tolling

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Report On Maryland's Mileage-Based User Fee Pilot Due In August

As Maryland fuel tax revenue declines and the state faces a $3.3 billion transportation funding gap, lawmakers are considering the possibility of adopting a mileage-based user fee (MBUF), WMAR reports. Results of an MBUF pilot project that ended in May are expected next month. MDOT conducted the project in partnership with The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC, formerly the I-95 Corridor Coalition). About 150 volunteers participated. TETC’s Trish Hendren says road use fees are comparable to the average amount motorists pay in Maryland fuel tax, although it’s possible rural commuters could pay less. TETC offers an online calculator and FAQ to help motorists understand how much they would pay if Maryland were to adopt the MBUF funding model.

Maryland has a blue ribbon panel — the Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs (TRAIN) —  studying and forming recommendations about revenue sources for the Transportation Trust Fund. A final report is due on January 1, 2025. Resolving  the state’s transportation funding dilemma became more difficult after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Eastern Transportation Coalition (Formerly I-95 Corridor Coalition) Maryland Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Road Use Charging (RUC-MBUF-VMT) Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development

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New Phase Of Houston Tollway Pavement Replacement Begins

The Harris County Toll Road Authority has closed some Northeast Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) lanes through early September to facilitate over a mile of major pavement replacement work. Two northbound mainlanes from the Generation Parkway exit to the West Lake Houston Parkway exit are closed. Also closed are two southbound mainlanes within the same segment. Some ramps are also closed.

KRIV reports on the paving project, which required last weekend’s closure of the facility’s Northeast Toll Plaza, a detour and a toll waiver. The construction zone’s newly rebuilt right lanes are now open to traffic.

Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Houston Metro Area Texas

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CTRMA Official Reports On 183 North and 183A Construction Progress

KXAN sat down with Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) project manager Mike Sexton to get an update on the 183 North and 183A Phase III projects currently under construction. He reported that a fourth lane in each direction on US 183 has opened ahead of schedule. Overall, 183 North is about 60 percent complete and “roughly” on time, with project completion expected in early 2026. Work to extend the 183A toll corridor between the towns of Leander and Liberty, north of Austin, started in 2021 and is on schedule to wrap up in 2025, according to Sexton. He noted that CTRMA has built about 70 miles of pedestrian and bicycle paths in the past 15 years, but it recognizes the need to provide mobility options. The agency also builds roads because some people prefer to drive and mass transit can’t accommodate everyone’s travel schedule.

183 Toll (CTRMA) 183A Toll (CTRMA) Alternative and Active Transportation Austin (TX) Metro Area Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Texas

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

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