- Breaking News: US-Canada Toll Bridge Incident Triggers Closure Of Several Border Crossings
- Colorado Extends Mountain Express Lane Hours For Holiday Travel
- Florida Transponder Account Holders Received $42.2 Million In Credits In October
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Breaking News: US-Canada Toll Bridge Incident Triggers Closure Of Several Border Crossings
As today’s Daily News Briefs nears deadline, numerous media outlets are reporting that a vehicle explosion of undetermined cause on the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission’s Rainbow Bridge has caused two deaths and at least one injury. As of 3:30 PM EST, The New York Times is reporting (on the authority of law enforcement sources) that the car did not contain explosives, and the blast may have resulted from a vehicle-infrastructure collision. However, US and Canadian leaders have been briefed and are closely monitoring the “rapidly changing situation.” US and Canadian federal investigators are on the scene together with New York State and Ontario agencies. At the request of the US government, the Rainbow span and three other international toll crossings in the area — the Peace, Lewiston-Queenston and Whirlpool Bridges — have been closed to traffic.
The Washington Post is also closely following this story and has information on the Rainbow Bridge.
Canada Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) New York Niagara Falls Bridge Commission OntarioColorado Extends Mountain Express Lane Hours For Holiday Travel
Colorado’s Mountain Express Lanes, peak-period shoulder lanes running east and west on a 12-mile stretch of I-70, will be open for extended hours during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel seasons, The Denver Post reports. According to a press release from Colorado DOT, the Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), which owns and operates the lanes, made the decision at the request of Governor Jared Polis (D). “The public invested significant dollars to build these lanes, and as a matter of public trust, we need to make sure they are open when people need them,” Polis said in a letter dated Monday. The article summarizes the Thanksgiving holiday extended hours, which vary by direction of travel. Over Christmas, all the lanes will be open 24 hours per day from Saturday, December 23, to New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1. The number of days per year that emergency shoulder lanes can be used for express travel is limited by joint policy of the Federal Highway Administration and local partners. In his letter, Polis also asked CTIO to look into increasing the allowable limit. (TRN inserted links in quoted text.)
The Denver Gazette also covers this news, specifying that peak-period use of the emergency breakdown lanes is limited to 1,168 hours on up to 100 days per year eastbound; and 965 hours on up to 125 days per year westbound. The article also describes the new sensor technology at work on the roadway to enforce lane restrictions.
Colorado Colorado Department of Transportation Express Lanes US Department of Transportation (USDOT)Florida Transponder Account Holders Received $42.2 Million In Credits In October
Florida DOT announced that 1.2 million toll facility customers received 50-percent account credits totaling $42.2 million in October, the tenth month of state’s year-long Toll Relief Program. Since its inception, a total of more than $385 million credits has been issued to drivers of two-axle vehicles who have at least 35 Florida toll transactions on their transponder accounts at the end of a calendar month. Although it is administered by FDOT and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, the program benefits customers of all state-based tolling agencies, not just SunPass account holders.
TRN notes that a possible extension of the Toll Relief Program is undergoing consideration by Florida’s governor and lawmakers.
E-PASS ETC Systems Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) SunPass Toll Exemption, Discount And Equity ProgramsThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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