Mex-Tex border tolls upgraded McAllen, Pharr

The virtual twin Texas cities of Pharr and McAllen have just completed an upgrade of toll systems on their bridges over the Rio Grande River to Mexico. They had contracted with TRMI (which everyone calls 'Trimmie') the veteran toll system integrator head-officed on the Hudson River in Accord NY.

McAllen now has TRMI toll systems on the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge and the new Anzalduas Bridge upriver. Just a mile or so downriver the twin city of Pharr has acuqired a new toll system.

A total of 19 toll lanes have been upgraded. They incorporate TRMI's Guardian (TM) suite of software that, they say, emphasizes tracking every transaction from the lane to database whether from automatic lanes or collector lanes.

An unusual feature of the new software for the Texas-Mexico border is that it allows toll collectors to handle non-toll transactions as well as regular tolls on their terminals. That includes rentals at a duty-free store and purchases of items advertised on a giant screen viewed by motorists waiting in line for border clearance.

TRMI claim to have in their Guardian software an intuitive system for finding and reviewing camera images associated with transactions as well as easy systems for supervisors to generate daily, monthly and annual reports and comparisons.

Says a TRMI statement: "With the Guardian system, it takes only seconds to find and review images associated with a toll event. In addition, the system provides 99.9% tag-read reliability, a paperless back office, and video and audio integration for audit.

"Other features of the new installations include Oracle® databases with RMAN backups, RAID 5 servers, e-commerce on-line accounts websites, sEgo® sticker tags, proximity cards, EZ video auditor with transaction hyperlinks and user-friendly interfaces for Plaza Operation, System Administration and Lane software.

"Both cities also benefit from TRMI's on-line customer accounts, using secured websites that allow bridge clients to view statements and account usage activity in real time, and to make payments on line that adds funds for immediate use at the lanes."

The City of McAllen opened their US half of the new $28m 4-lane Anzalduas International Bridge for traffic at December 15, 2009.  They say the new bridge will serve as the most direct and efficient route between the Rio Grande Valley and Mexican cities such as Monterrey and Mexico City, and may reduce travel time by as much as 45 minutes.

http://www.mcallen.net/bridge/anzalduas.aspx

The new bridge supplements the 8-lane Hidalgo Bridge that has been in service since 1926.

http://www.mcallen.net/bridge/hidalgo.aspx

Tolls at the McAllen bridges are $2.25 for cars, going up by axle with a 5-axle tractor trailer $17. Pedestrians pay 50c.

Traffic is around 10k vehicles/day.

Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge charges a $2.50 toll for cars, with toll rates going up by axle (which they spell 'axel') and $19 for a US-style 18-wheel tractor-trailer.  The bridge does 5k to 6k vehicles crossing per day.  Over 20% are trucks. They collect about $9m/year in toll revenues.

The Pharr bridge connects US281 to the Mexican road network in Reynosa. It spans a wide flood plain as well as the river and is over 5km (3.2 miles) long. It is recognized for high-tech border clearance technologies that expedite movement.

http://www.cityofpharr.com/index.aspx?NID=4

TRMI has worked on toll systems all over the US but claims to have built the first solid-state electronic toll collection system in the United States - at the Golden Gate Bridge back in 1981.

COMMENT: we love the look of those wild angled underlighted canopies at the new bridge plaza there in McAllen. But we hope it's all thoroughly bolted down, or the next big blow down there might see those gorgeous canopies lifted over the Gulf and dumped in Florida.

TOLLROADSnews 2010-01-21