GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE InTrans French sub gets e-toll job

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

InTrans French sub gets

e-toll job

InTrans, a subsidary of CS Route, the major French toll systems company was selected over TransCore, MFS and Amtech to install replace existing toll collection, install electronic tolling and enforcement systems and operate some customer service at the Golden Gate bridge (GGB). InTrans bid $7.9m for the job, 5% below MFS, 20% below TransCore and 31% below Amtech.

The bridge itself had estimated $7.6m based on ATCAS costs from Caltrans on its Bay area bridges. (see tables above)

Lockheed Martin is principal sub to InTrans and will do 44% of the value of the job. Part of the contract is to operate a customer service center for 3 years and to supply an initial lot of 31k transponders.

The project involves installing Calif Title-21 compliant electronic toll readers together with video enforcement in eleven lanes of the Bridge’s toll plaza. The manual collection registers, lane controllers, plaza computers and system software are all being replaced as part of the contract too, because the existing gear will crash at the fateful midnight Dec 31 99 because of the Y2k problem.

The Bridge hopes to sign a contract shortly because the new system “absolutely” has to be up and running before 2000, says Bob Warren the project manager.

MFS is protesting the selection as we go to press. It may be paying a price for its severe difficulties on the nearby Bay bridges. The Evaluation Commmittee of seven led by Stan Weiss, the bridge’s official consultant, gave MFS lowest marks for both Technical capability and Experience for the job. Those low marks took it to third place below TransCore in the final rating.

InTrans is a new name for what is still officially TDC Inc of Roslyn Heights NY on Long Island. Formed in 1979 as a fully owned North American subsidiary of CS Route, TDC represents various French manufacturers of automatic coin machines, ticket dispensers and readers, and collector terminals. CEO Kris Wuestefeld says it is moving its focus increasingly toward the kind of system integration involved in the Golden Gate job.

Large jobs the company has got are: (1) the Ohio Turnpike where some 165 toll lanes are being modernized (2) Puerto Rico where 220 lanes at 20 plazas are being upgraded. The Blue Water Bridge, Niagara Falls and Richmond VA are others.

Wuestefeld says the company can draw on technical skills of its owners CS Route in France and may formally change its name to indicate its move into system integration.

The Golden Gate bridge was the site for one of the world’s first electronic toll installations. Back in 1969 General Electric demonstrated large passive transponders fixed to the underside of buses actuated by induction from electric coils in the pavement. Similar equipment was tried on the Port Authority NY&NJ bus route through the Lincoln Tunnel NY. The system was too cumbersome for cars and too high cost when used just for buses.

The Golden Gate bridge was all ready to go again with electronic tolling earlier this decade when the state government intervened to make its own choice of Texas Instruments standard mandatory within the state (Title 21) so the Bridge gave up again for several years. Third time lucky?

(Contact Bob Warren GGB 415 923 2240, Kris Wuestefeld InTrans 516 484 3333)