Indiana Toll Road getting three more toll conventional lanes at Portage plaza
Posted Thu, 2007-10-18 20:05
The Indiana Toll Road looks like getting an extra three conventional toll lanes at the Portage Toll Plaza. ITR Concession Company (ITRCC) is applying for permission to add the lanes in order to improve throughput.
Portage is near MP23. That's 23 miles (37km) east of the Illinois Line and at the transition from the barrier system in the west to the eastern ticket system.
The toll plaza presently has 12 toll lanes.
ITRCC estimate that at peak times 9 lanes are needed westbound where tolls are paid and 6 lanes eastbound where tickets are picked up, but three central lanes will be made reversible to provide extra flexibility.
The company proposes demolishing an operations building on the southern side to add lanes there. Houses would be affected more by an expansion on the north side.
Electronic tolling - using an i-Zoom brand and part of the E-ZPass interagency group - is in full operation on the barrier system to the west and is nearing completion on the eastern ticket system. The lane-based system is retrofitted into the old toll plaza lanes - a first generation application of electronic tolling.
Local media reports damagingly suggested electronic tolling on the barrier system was accompanied by longer queueing and delays than in the previous all-cash situation. There were major problems getting motorists into the correct lanes and some imbalance in collection modes. ITRCC people claim that was a startup problem of a couple of weeks duration, and that traffic is now flowing significantly better than when the system was all cash.
No plans for highway speed tolling
ITRCC has no early plans for highway speed electronic tolling which sets it up for adverse comparisons with the Illinois Tollway where all mainline plazas are now open road freeflow down the middle.
Cintra/Macquarie joint ventures operate both the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road.
Highway speed tolling probably has to wait on the completion of reconstruction work on the Skyway, and a negotiated end to a MacDonalds franchise in the very center of the Skyway toll plaza. People entering and leaving the MacDonalds parking lot require the central lanes of the toll plazas to keep traffic slow. Electronic toll lanes have for the time being been located on the outsides.
It seems likely that the Indiana Toll Road and the Skyway will get highway speed tolling at the same time - once the Skyway MacDonalds is gotten out of the way.
Macquarie's Dulles Greenway also has an old-fashioned lane constrained toll plaza with no plans announced for highway speed tolling.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-18
The Indiana Toll Road looks like getting an extra three conventional toll lanes at the Portage Toll Plaza. ITR Concession Company (ITRCC) is applying for permission to add the lanes in order to improve throughput. Portage is near MP23. That's 23 miles (37km) east of the Illinois Line and at the transition from the barrier system in the west to the eastern ticket system.
The toll plaza presently has 12 toll lanes.
ITRCC estimate that at peak times 9 lanes are needed westbound where tolls are paid and 6 lanes eastbound where tickets are picked up, but three central lanes will be made reversible to provide extra flexibility.
The company proposes demolishing an operations building on the southern side to add lanes there. Houses would be affected more by an expansion on the north side.
Electronic tolling - using an i-Zoom brand and part of the E-ZPass interagency group - is in full operation on the barrier system to the west and is nearing completion on the eastern ticket system. The lane-based system is retrofitted into the old toll plaza lanes - a first generation application of electronic tolling.
Local media reports damagingly suggested electronic tolling on the barrier system was accompanied by longer queueing and delays than in the previous all-cash situation. There were major problems getting motorists into the correct lanes and some imbalance in collection modes. ITRCC people claim that was a startup problem of a couple of weeks duration, and that traffic is now flowing significantly better than when the system was all cash.
No plans for highway speed tollingITRCC has no early plans for highway speed electronic tolling which sets it up for adverse comparisons with the Illinois Tollway where all mainline plazas are now open road freeflow down the middle.
Cintra/Macquarie joint ventures operate both the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road.
Highway speed tolling probably has to wait on the completion of reconstruction work on the Skyway, and a negotiated end to a MacDonalds franchise in the very center of the Skyway toll plaza. People entering and leaving the MacDonalds parking lot require the central lanes of the toll plazas to keep traffic slow. Electronic toll lanes have for the time being been located on the outsides.
It seems likely that the Indiana Toll Road and the Skyway will get highway speed tolling at the same time - once the Skyway MacDonalds is gotten out of the way.
Macquarie's Dulles Greenway also has an old-fashioned lane constrained toll plaza with no plans announced for highway speed tolling.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-18