In addition to successfully eliminating the construction-related congestion at the Wycliff Avenue toll plaza, the ‘drive now, pay later’ ZipCash method is safer than cars stopping to pay tolls and then weaving back into traffic, and had many other benefits for north Texas motorists. 

 

“In July of 2007, our board approved the gradual system-wide transition to electronic toll collection based, in part, on our success at Wycliff Avenue,” said Clayton Howe, NTTA’s Assistant Executive Director of Operations. “The transition to electronic tolling will allow the NTTA to improve mobility in the region, while enhancing safety, reducing capital and operational costs, reducing needed right of way, and allowing more cars to use the roadway.”

 

While the pros of an electronic tolling system greatly outnumber the cons, the NTTA was able to develop solutions for issues that could arise with a cashless system by testing electronic tolling at Wycliff Avenue. The NTTA also wanted to make sure that this transition, while overall beneficial, was sensitive to employees who would be impacted by the decision to go to electronic toll collection as well as customers who choose to use cash as a method of payment.    

 

“The NTTA has a transition plan to train and prepare all affected employees to assume other positions within the agency. So far, the agency has successfully transitioned 10 percent of cash collection staff into other positions within the agency,” Howe said. “After comparing our current collection rate to the ZipCash collection rate at Wycliff Avenue, we can confidently say that we do not anticipate the collection of tolls to become a concern when we transition to electronic toll collection. We have a very aggressive collection policy and will seek payment from anyone who uses our roadways. Furthermore, revenue lost by a small decline in the collection rate will be offset by operations and maintenance savings.”

 

All NTTA-operated facilities will be cash-free by 2010. Early transition plans indicate the agency will transition the Dallas North Tollway, the Addison Airport Toll Tunnel and the Mountain Creek Lake Bridge to electronic toll collection in 2008 and 2009. The President George Bush Turnpike will be transitioned to electronic toll collection in 2009 and 2010.

 

Customers without a TollTag, the electronic transponder that allows users to pass through the toll plazas and deducts the amount from an account, will be billed through ZipCash, the cashless method of electronic tolling. They will be billed at a higher rate than TollTag customers, due to the cost of collection.

 

“Anyone who does not have a TollTag should consider getting one. The best way to travel any toll road in the state is with an NTTA TollTag,” Howe said. “TollTag customers save money and time and enjoy the convenience of managing their account on-line.”