Experience with tolling systems in North America.
St. Cloud, Florida, United States
Orlando, Florida, United States
Texas, United States
California, United States
Statewide, Delaware, United States
Dulles, Virginia, United States
Denver, Colorado, United States
Statewide, New Jersey, United States
Illinois, United States
New York, United States
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Vaughan, Canada
This report covered an analysis of tolling systems to help state officials and other policy makers discuss the implementation and operational costs of alternative revenue-generating systems. Three to five years of capital and operational cost data were collected from approximately 15 tolling agencies that operate and maintain a variety of electronic toll collection and variable pricing systems including open road toll systems and managed lanes in the United States and Canada. Agencies surveyed included older turnpike systems, more recently established toll agencies, and private companies that operate toll facilities under concession agreements.
The following data excerpted from Table 26 of the source report compares operating costs with revenues. In 2007, the data show that tolling agencies expended about 33.5 percent of revenues on toll collection operations, administration, and enforcement costs.
Tolling Agency |
2003
|
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
Average
Across Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TOTAL OPERATING COSTS (in $000s) | ||||||
Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) |
$29,460
|
$32,362
|
$31,516
|
$32,909
|
$33,994
|
$32,048
|
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) |
N/A
|
$25,627
|
$25,428
|
$30,554
|
$30,919
|
$28,132
|
Dulles Toll Road |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$36,758
|
$34,737
|
$38,639
|
$36,711
|
Dulles Greenway |
N/A
|
$9,706
|
$13,164
|
$10,868
|
$12,468
|
$11,552
|
Denver E-470 ExpressToll |
$21,393
|
$29,180
|
$25,746
|
$26,419
|
$36,717
|
$27,891
|
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$227,238
|
$254,883
|
$258,891
|
$247,004
|
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) |
$127,900
|
$134,995
|
$148,808
|
$149,949
|
$164,888
|
$145,308
|
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) |
$230,141
|
$316,896
|
$326,309
|
$341,768
|
$365,797
|
$316,182
|
North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$48,796
|
$52,794
|
$61,047
|
$54,212
|
New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) |
$160,820
|
$173,726
|
$182,406
|
$212,303
|
$194,960
|
$184,843
|
Orlando–Orange County Expressway (OOCEA) |
$38,027
|
$45,620
|
$46,211
|
$52,563
|
$52,206
|
$46,925
|
Ohio Turnpike Commission (OTC) |
$64,071
|
$67,333
|
$73,057
|
$72,035
|
$73,468
|
$69,993
|
San Diego I-15 Express Lanes |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$2,225
|
$1,541
|
$1,385
|
$1,717
|
California SR 91 Express Lanes |
N/A
|
$12,607
|
$14,506
|
$15,078
|
$15,447
|
$14,410
|
Toronto 407 Express Toll Route (ETR) |
$62,825
|
$66,141
|
$68,800
|
$67,945
|
$86,522
|
$70,447
|
Average Across Agencies |
$91,830
|
$83,109
|
$84,731
|
$90,423
|
$95,157
|
$85,825
|
TOTAL REVENUES (in $000s) | ||||||
Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) |
$130,399
|
$139,471
|
$141,057
|
$143,843
|
$144,835
|
$139,921
|
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) |
N/A
|
$78,856
|
$79,421
|
$80,154
|
$85,503
|
$80,984
|
Dulles Toll Road |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$43,727
|
$65,533
|
$64,931
|
$58,064
|
Dulles Greenway |
$58,895
|
$73,584
|
$77,788
|
$92,185
|
$94,373
|
$79,365
|
Denver E-470 ExpressToll |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$598,762
|
$647,959
|
$681,615
|
$642,779
|
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) |
N/A
|
$40,725
|
$45,433
|
$55,294
|
$55,925
|
$49,344
|
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) |
$433,495
|
$418,721
|
$612,237
|
$585,095
|
$608,440
|
$531,598
|
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) |
$606,620
|
$747,932
|
$751,381
|
$784,919
|
$796,259
|
$737,422
|
North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$177,472
|
$191,434
|
$202,676
|
$190,527
|
New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) |
$427,184
|
$439,583
|
$511,191
|
$554,363
|
$540,321
|
$494,528
|
Orlando–Orange County Expressway (OOCEA) |
$154,726
|
$169,725
|
$178,830
|
$194,292
|
$204,641
|
$180,443
|
Ohio Turnpike Commission (OTC) |
$182,740
|
$192,451
|
$182,014
|
$186,945
|
$200,471
|
$188,924
|
San Diego I-15 Express Lanes |
N/A
|
N/A
|
$2,211
|
$1,617
|
$1,496
|
$1,775
|
California SR 91 Express Lanes |
N/A
|
$32,375
|
$39,584
|
$44,238
|
$49,838
|
$41,509
|
Toronto 407 Express Toll Route (ETR) |
$265,511
|
$318,109
|
$361,995
|
$391,375
|
$525,365
|
$372,471
|
Average Across Agencies |
$282,446
|
$241,048
|
$253,540
|
$267,950
|
$283,779
|
$265,753
|
Additional analysis attempted to exclude capital and maintenance costs related to physical infrastructure from the seven toll collection systems listed below. The analysis found that toll collection costs as a percent of revenues ranged from 14 percent to 20 percent, and the cost per transaction ranged from $0.23 to $0.56 (WSDOT, 2007).
Toll System |
Toll Collection Costs as a
Percentage of Revenues |
---|---|
E-470 |
14%
|
Caltrans Bridges |
16%
|
Golden Gate Bridge |
15%
|
Tobin Bridge |
16%
|
TCA |
17.6%
|
SR-91 |
16%
|
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway |
20%
|
The capital costs for toll collection activities can vary considerably depending on the type of collection system implemented, system objectives, implementation rate, and funding availability. In addition, some agencies may incur start-up costs such as design and implementation costs while other agencies, with more mature systems, may be able to make more gradual upgrades.
The following data excerpted from Table 27 shows a wide range of capital costs for improvements implemented between 2003 and 2007.
Toll Road Agency | Improvement |
Total
Capital Costs |
Cost Per
Year |
Cost Per
Centerline Mile |
---|---|---|---|---|
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) |
Design and installation of an ITS system |
$20,010,000
|
$10,005,000
|
$1,725,000
|
Dulles Greenway | Toll collection equipment |
$56,137,545
|
$11,227,509
|
$4,009,825
|
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) | Intelligent Transportation System and Fiber Optic Improvements, Mainline Intelligent Transportation System and Fiber Optic Improvements, Polk, and Suncoast Addition of Sun Pass Lanes Conversion, Sawgrass Open Road Tolling Plaza and Express Lane Conversion, Mainline Toll System Technology Upgrades on the Mainline |
$166,200,000
|
$41,550,000
|
$618,369
|
North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) | Toll equipment for Lewisville Lake Bridge and the NTTA system |
$5,742,321
|
-
|
-
|
Ohio Turnpike Commission (OTC) | Conversion to ETC |
$9,703,412
|
$9,703,412
|
-
|
Orlando–Orange County Expressway (OOCEA) | Toll equipment and buildings |
$156,978,000
|
$31,395,600
|
$1,569,780
|
Toronto 407 Express Toll Route (ETR) | Toll equipment, transponders, operations center, office equipment, and computer equipment |
$182,856,744
|
$20,317,416
|
$2,728,788
|
Sources: CTRMA (2005), Florida’s Turnpike System (2007, 2008), NTTA (2007), OTC (2007, 2008), OOCEA (2007), Toll Road Investors Partnership (2007), and 407 International Inc. (2007).
NCHRP Report 689: Costs of Alternative Revenue-Generation Systems
See summary