MASSACHUSETTS:Fast Lane on fast track: Over 300k tags

At the Sumner/Callahan Tunnel, one lane remains dedicated ET. All the other lanes have now been equipped to handle both ET and cash. The dedicated ET lanes have been resigned with a yellow FAST LANE sign above the canopy. The new dual mode lanes have a blue sign that says “All TRANSACTIONS” and “FAST LANE.”

At the Allston-Brighton toll plaza eastbound, the two ET-lanes remain as they are on the far right hand side. In addition, two lanes now equipped with an automatic coin machines (50c) are now ET also: with a red sign above “EXACT CHANGE and FAST LANE.” (For non-US readers: ‘change’ in this context simply means coins, not that change is given.)

At the beginning of the ticket system at IC 15 westbound, the ET-only lane was augmented with a dual mode lane dispensing toll tickets from a ticket machine and reading ET tags, signed in red “TICKETS and FAST LANE.” At IC 15 eastbound, the end of the toll ticket system, two ET-only lanes are grouped on the right side of the plaza. Previously there was a single ET-only lane on the right side and a second on the left side of the plaza. The left ET-lane was switched to dual mode lane with a blue sign “ALL TRANSACTIONS and FAST LANE.” Other changes are taking place March 4 at the toll plazas linking MA-128 (I-95) to the Pike.

Last summer with the ET system went live in the peak driving season, and with transponders numbering about 100k there were increased queues in the cash lanes and nearly ‘empty’ ET-only lanes. This arouses the ire of motorists but at the same time it is a powerful driver for patrons to go get transponders.

There is no marketing tool as powerful in selling ET as the sight of ET-equipped cars zipping through an ET-only lane alongside a long line of cash payers.

The Mass Pike was following in the path of New York’s MTA B&T (Triborough Auth) which also went for ET-only lanes from the beginning (and has stuck with the policy of avoiding mixed lanes.) MTA B&T also had a situation in which ET-only lanes were introduced somewhat ahead of traffic, and faced an angry public when backups at the Throg’s Neck bridge cut off access to the ET-only lanes.

Mixed lanes have been in operation on the Mass Port Authority’s Tobin Bridge since October. In one backdown the Pike restored an ACM lane at 128 eastbound to Boston. Its conversion to ET-only had caused major annoyance among patrons.

The Mass Pike system is now interoperable with E-ZPass (though it retains its separate FAST LANE naming and signage) and 15k to 20k E-ZPass transactions are being done each day. ET has been installed and is being operated on the Mass Pike by TransCore under an unusual $70 million, 10-year contract that involves no upfront outlay for the equipment. (Contact Bob Bliss Mass Pike 617 248 2823 www.masspike.com)