Cashless Toll Collection: Town Hall in October; Conversion Prompts Transitions/Reduction in Force

Do you have questions about the NTTA’s upcoming conversion on Dec. 10 to cashless tolling?  If so, plan on attending the NTTA’s Cashless Toll Collection Town Hall meeting Oct. 26, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., in the NTTA Boardroom, 5900 W. Plano Parkway in Plano.

The come-and-go meeting will provide the ideal opportunity for motorists to have their questions answered and to learn more about the NTTA’s move to cashless toll collection. It will also be an opportunity to ask NTTA staff specific questions about construction along the Dallas North Tollway, how ZipCash works, getting and using a TollTag, as well as questions about other NTTA projects. Representatives from the Roadway Customer Service team also will be on hand to answer questions about how they help stranded motorists on NTTA roadways.

Major construction operations continued in September along the DNT between Interstate 635 and Parker Road in Plano. Crews installed the outside concrete columns of new main lane gantries at both Trinity Mills Road and Parker Road. Crews are in the process of switching work zones to allow for construction of median columns in both locations. Necessary lane closures continue to be limited to off-peak evening hours.

Meanwhile, the NTTA has successfully transitioned more than 200 employees out of its Toll Collection and Vault departments and into other NTTA departments in preparation for the upcoming transition to all-electronic, or cashless, toll collection on the remainder of the NTTA System.

After the conversion is complete in December, however, about 140 staff positions will no longer be required.

“The transition to cashless toll collection on the remainder of the NTTA System has required a reduced number of employees over the last two years,” said NTTA Executive Director Allen Clemson. “We have sought to assist these employees by offering as many opportunities as possible to move into other positions either in or outside the NTTA.”

Since the decision to switch to cashless tolling was made in 2007, a dedicated team of human resource and toll collection management led efforts to identify new and existing job opportunities and to offer employees the means and methods to increase their skill sets. The employee transition plan consisted of additional training, professional development, second-language proficiency programs and mentoring opportunities. Hundreds of toll collection and vault employees also have participated in job fairs, job shadowing and interview/job development workshops to assist in the transition within or outside the NTTA.

Current construction activities on the Dallas North Tollway, Addison Airport Toll Tunnel and Mountain Creek Lake Bridge are in preparation for the Dec. 10 final conversion to cashless toll collection. Beginning Dec. 11, all NTTA roads, bridges and tunnels will be cashless.

Once the conversion is complete, cash no longer will be accepted on the NTTA System, and tolls must be paid through a TollTag account or the NTTA’s ZipCash payment method. Customers who use ZipCash—the NTTA's pay-by-invoice toll collection method—pay 50 percent more than customers who have TollTags. TollTags also can be used on any toll road in Texas. Customers whose TollTag accounts are backed with a credit or debit card can use their TollTags for parking and pass-through privileges at D/FW International Airport and for all parking at Dallas Love Field Airport. Customers can have up to three TollTags, a “family pack,” on one account at no additional charge. TollTag accounts also can be managed online 24/7, which allows customers to print out receipts for expense reports, update account information and much more.

Lane and ramp closures are expected to increase as preparation for the conversion continues. To stay up to date on scheduled lane closures and weekly construction activities, customers can sign up to receive the NTTA’s new weekly cashless tolling e-newsletter. For more information about how to sign-up for project updates visit the all-electronic toll collection project webpage or NTTA Facebook page.