For Immediate Release: 02/14/19
Contact: Office of Media Relations and Communications | (518) 471-5300 | public.info@thruway.ny.gov
THRUWAY AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF FINAL RFP TO INSTALL CASHLESS TOLLING ON NYS THRUWAY TICKETED SYSTEM
Design Build Project Includes Implementation of Cashless Tolling and Removal of Existing Toll Booths at 52 Thruway Interchanges and Barriers
Thruway Ticketed System Accounts for More Than 158 Million Vehicle Trips Per Year
Entire 570-Mile NYS Thruway on Schedule to be Completely Cashless by the End of 2020
Final RFP Can Be Viewed Here
The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the release of the final Request for Proposals (RFP) to three short-listed firms to design, install, and implement cashless tolling on the NYS Thruway’s ticketed system by the end of 2020. The Design Build project will include the installation of state-of-the-art cashless tolling gantries and equipment and the removal of existing toll booths at 52 Thruway interchanges and toll barriers traversing approximately 450 miles across New York State.
“Under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, the Thruway Authority continues its historic and monumental transition to cashless tolling system-wide by the end of 2020,” said Matthew J. Driscoll, Thruway Authority Executive Director. “At the completion of this project, the more than 268 million motorists that rely on the Thruway each year will never again have to stop and wait to pay at a toll booth making our interchanges and former toll barriers safer by easing congestion and greener by lowering emissions.”
The release of the final RFP is the next phase in the Design Build process which began in 2018 with the release of the Request for Qualifications where an informational meeting was held and interested firms were able to submit questions. At the end of the RFQ process, three firms were deemed qualified and will now submit their technical proposals which are due in May 2019. The three short-listed firms are:
- Cashless Tolling Constructors, LLC
- Kiewit Infrastructure Co.
- Statewide Civil, LLC
Following the submission of proposals, the Thruway Authority will determine the Best Value and select a winning firm. A final contract is anticipated to be awarded in July 2019.
As Governor Cuomo announced in his 2018 State of the State address, cashless tolling will be implemented on the entire NYS Thruway system by the end of 2020. Cashless tolling is already operational at the Thruway’s fixed-price barriers in the lower Hudson Valley region and the Grand Island Bridges in Western New York.
The Thruway’s ticketed system, which is located between exits 15 (Woodbury) and exit 61 (Ripley – PA Line) as well as exits B1 – B3 (Berkshire Spur), accounts for nearly 60 percent of all Thruway traffic each year. In 2018, more than 158 million vehicles traveled on the ticketed system, accounting for more than 6.2 billion miles traveled.
When cashless tolling is operational on the Thruway’s ticketed system, motorists will drive under a gantry with state-of-the-art sensors and cameras that read E-ZPass tags and take license plate images, so vehicles no longer have to stop to pay the toll.
Vehicles with E-ZPass tags are automatically charged and vehicles without E-ZPass tags will have their license plate image captured and a toll bill mailed to the registered owner of each vehicle. Customers who pay using Tolls By Mail will pay the same toll rate as previously paid by cash customers, and E-ZPass customers with New York accounts will continue to receive a five percent discount. E-ZPass tags are sold at more than 800 locations across that state including Thruway Service Areas, select cash toll lanes, local grocery and convenience stores and municipal locations, New York State DMVs, and online. To find a retailer near you, go to thruway.ny.gov/getezpass.
Following the switchover to cashless tolling, the existing toll plazas at 52 Thruway interchanges and toll barriers will be removed in phases. For a yet to be determined time period, drivers will continue to travel through existing toll lanes at reduced speeds without stopping until the booths are removed and road reconfigurations are complete. Drivers will be strongly urged to use caution around the toll plazas during this time, as it will be an active construction zone. The posted speed limit when traveling through the toll lanes will be 20 MPH.
In preparation for cashless tolling system-wide by the end of 2020, the New York State Thruway Authority reminds all drivers that New York State law requires residents to keep their address current with the Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure bills are mailed to the proper owner. Drivers must update their address with the DMV within 10 days of moving. Drivers can update their address with the DMV by going to dmv.ny.gov.
For comprehensive information on how cashless tolling works and tips on how to pay bills on time, visit the Thruway Authority’s website at thruway.ny.gov.
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