- Kapsch Facilitates Connected Vehicle Pilot Project In Ireland
- A Cleveland.com Primer On Upcoming Ohio Turnpike Toll System Changes
- Labor Leader Spotlights Union Efforts To Meet Infrastructure Workforce Needs
- NY Thruway Opens Renovated Service Plaza With New Feature For Customers With Disabilities
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Kapsch Facilitates Connected Vehicle Pilot Project In Ireland
Kapsch TrafficCom announced it is facilitating a C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) pilot project in conjunction with Ireland’s NIMS (Network Intelligence and Management System) initiative, which is supported by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. “As part of this project, 1,500 members of the public will participate in the pilot, offering them a unique opportunity to experience [integrated C-ITS technology],” which permits data exchanges among vehicles, roadside infrastructure and transportation control centers. “Spanning the M50 and M1 motorways in Dublin, the deployment aims to convey crucial notifications regarding collisions, congestion, roadworks, and adverse weather conditions directly to drivers through in-vehicle screens. This initiative not only showcases the potential of technological integration in improving road safety but also plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of C-ITS in real-world settings.” Jack Chambers, the government minister with responsibility for road safety, commented, “The value of this technology is that it empowers motorists to make real time decisions so they can better plan their journey to avoid things like road collisions, broken down vehicles causing obstruction or congestion and ultimately improve road safety for all road users.” Kapsch noted that the NIMS project has a financial scope in the low double-digit million range.
Highway and Bridge Maintenance Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) Intelligent Traffic Management Systems Intelligent Transportation Systems Ireland Kapsch Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) V2X and V2V TechnologyA Cleveland.com Primer On Upcoming Ohio Turnpike Toll System Changes
Following the announcement the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) is preparing to start a phased-in launch of its new toll collection system, Cleveland.com provides a guide to the complex of changes drivers will encounter.
When the transition takes effect — the precise date is dependent on the completion of tests — new OTIC roadside electronic tolling apparatus will become fully operational and toll lane exit gates in all dedicated E-ZPass lanes will remain in the open position. (Entry gates were lifted last year.) For the first time, transponder users will be able to enter and exit the turnpike without stopping, although they must observe a 10 MPH speed limit while driving through toll plaza lanes. The ETC hardware upgrades together with OTIC’s previous installation of new automated cash and credit payment machines at its interchanges will improve customer convenience and save authority operating costs.
Some major toll structure changes will take effect with the launch of the new system. Tolls will no longer be charged at nine plazas along the highway system — five near the turnpike’s eastern portal and four near the western portal — although drivers will still be able to enter and exit at all those places. Instead, a new flat-rate toll will be assessed when drivers enter the system from the eastern or western gateway, and also when they exit the turnpike into Indiana. Elsewhere, between exits 49 and 211, a conventional closed ticketed toll structure will remain in effect and determine how much drivers pay. To facilitate these tolling changes, OTIC has created new or replacement plazas at its western gateway (Exit 4) and at the beginning and end of the ticketed segment (exits 49 and 211). The modernized facilities will become operational when the new ETC system goes online. For drivers, perhaps the most striking change resulting from the restructure will be the reduction in the number of active toll points from 31 to 24.
OTIC has published a chart showing the rate changes that will result from initiation of the new hardware system and toll structure. Costs will increase for class 8 commercial truck drivers, but many customers will not see a significant net change in what they pay to travel on the turnpike. The toll rate charged per mile traveled will not be affected.
ETC Systems Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Toll Rate ChangesLabor Leader Spotlights Union Efforts To Meet Infrastructure Workforce Needs
Pittsburgh Union Progress reports, at least one major labor leader is confident the US can meet the workforce demand created by the federal government’s infrastructure renewal program. At an event in Pittsburgh last week, Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, claimed organized labor provides more than $2 billion in training each year and has an opportunity “to train more people than ever before.” McGarvey joined union and elected officials in spotlighting a three-year apprenticeship program with 70 participants run by one iron workers union local. One insight provided during remarks is that “[t]he biggest challenge facing workers in building trades is affordable child care, . . . because early starting and late quitting times make it difficult for parents to use traditional program[s]. Pilot programs in New York and Milwaukee are trying to address that situation,” McGarvey noted.
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Infrastructure Workforce Issues Transportation and Infrastructure Leadership And Workforce Diversity US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesNY Thruway Opens Renovated Service Plaza With New Feature For Customers With Disabilities
The New York State Thruway Authority announced yesterday the reopening of the modernized Warners Service Area on I-90 westbound at mile marker 292. “The location is the 15th new service area to open to Thruway customers as part of the $450 million private investment to redevelop and modernize all 27 Thruway service areas and the first of five select service areas that will include an adult changing station to improve accessibility for all motorists.” State Senator Pam Helming (R-54) is credited with advocating for the changing stations, which provide a private and secure space for caregivers to assist people with disabilities. The new service plazas at Angola, Ontario, Pattersonville and Sloatsburg also will include the amenity. Applegreen, the service area operator and an affiliate of the state’s modernization project partner, predicts 25 service plazas will be renovated by the end of this year. (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
New York New York State Thruway Authority P3 & Privatization Service PlazasThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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