North Carolina defers tag & reader choice to mid-Jan but finalizing roadside, back office, ops Nov 15

North Carolina Turnpike Authority now envisage making their choice of tag/reader system mid-January, three months later than anticipated. Jim Eden chief operating officer says the procurement - formally "Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) Technology" - is the most difficult and far-reaching, and that they need time to get the decision right.

In June the timetable was a recommendation to their board Oct 21, and a contract finalized Nov 18.

Proposals were received July 22.

While the new system will be applied immediately on 65 toll lanes of the Triangle Expressway project now in construction in Raleigh, it will also need to be used in other toll projects in the pipeline including the Mid-Currituck Bridge on the Outer Banks, Monroe Connector and Garden Parkway in Charlotte and Cape Fear Skyway in the far southeast corner of the state.

Competing are TransCore and a Mark IV-Kapsch joint venture. Both are understood to provide a path to next generation technologies while providing a degree of interoperability with systems in use to the north and south.

The Mark IV Kapsch partnership is interesting because it could presage a strategic partnership or even a Kapsch buy-up of the IVHS (toll) division of Mark IV.

The three other toll system contracts are being finalized and details should be announced mid-month. officials say.

ACS has been chosen to provide two of these: roadside systems and back office system.

Washington Division of URS was chosen for 'operations services.'

TOLLROADSnews 2009-11-02