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NTTA Converting to All-Electronic Toll Collection System-wide If you frequently drive on the Dallas North Tollway, you may notice a difference between the Wycliff Avenue gantry and the rest of the gantries on the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) system. Toll collection at the Wycliff Avenue gantry is electronic. At Wycliff Avenue, motorists without a TollTag do not have the option to stop to pay cash. Instead, a picture is taken of their license plate and they are billed by mail, at the higher ZipCash rate.
All NTTA customers benefit from enhanced safety and improved traffic flow as a result of the removal of the plazas and subsequent elimination of stop-and-go, weaving traffic patterns. ZipCash customers (customers on NTTA roadway without a TollTag) benefit from the added convenience of ‘driving now and paying later.’
The NTTA was able to develop solutions for issues that could arise with an all-electronic system by testing all-electronic tolling at Wycliff Avenue. The NTTA also wanted to make sure that this transition, while 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 affected employees to assume other positions, as many as possible within the agency. So far, the agency has successfully transitioned 61 employees into other positions within the agency,” said Clayton Howe, the Assistant Executive Director of Operations for the NTTA. “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 all-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.”
The plan calls for all NTTA-operated facilities to be transitioned to electronic toll collection in 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.
“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.”
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