Client: Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE)
Location: Orange, Sumter & Osceola Counties

Project Description:

A vital part of FTE’s vision for a better customer experience and a more cost-effective administration is cashless tolling – All Electronic Tolling (AET) – which improves safety, enhances mobility, and reduces transaction costs. AET is achieved through a combination of ITS, implementation of new technologies like “toll by plate,” and physical changes to toll collection plazas/gantries. This important project implemented AET on a 73-mile section of the Turnpike which included removal/replacement of the Leesburg Mainline Toll Plaza which is ranked in the top three in Turnpike revenue and changes to 11 ramp toll plaza locations.

This project required installation of ITS and tolling backbone for revised and new toll plaza then integrating them into the existing system for toll collection with exhaustive testing before the “go live” implementation. This project extended through the limits of two other widening projects which had toll plaza AET conversions so the “go live” required all three projects to coordinate “go live” implementation. “Go live” had to be accomplished in a single night with modifications to the ITS and toll collection system done and tested in conjunction with modifications to the plazas (i.e., signing, pavement markings, modified lanes usage, MOT, etc.).

An adjustment made to this project to ensure successful implementation with no loss of tolling was to split the “go live” into two components done at separate times about 6 months apart. Phase 1 included several of this project’s interchanges from the south end to north of I-4 and the other adjoining projects including the Turnpike Widening MP 249 – MP 254 and the I-4 Direct Connect. Phase 2 included the Leesburg Mainline Gantry and all remaining interchanges on this project.

The successful “go live” required extensive community outreach and months of Internal coordination among ITS/Tolls technical staff, facilities management, construction and CEI staff, and contractor personnel. This was over 80 total staff engaged for each night of “go live” implementation.
A highly effective Community Outreach began several months before implementation and included flyers distributed to local stakeholders, press releases, public service announcements, and multiple media interviews. Community Outreach focused on the technology changes of AET and the physical changes at toll plazas including the MOT requirements during the “go live” implementation.

Both Phase 1 and 2 of the “go live” implementations were very successful. They were accomplished within the 8 nighttime hours allowed with zero safety incidents and the new ITS/Tolling systems implemented, tested, and confirmed for accuracy.

Services Provided:

Construction Management & CEI
Construction Administration
QA/QC
Planning & Scheduling

Performance Dates:

June 2019 to July 2021

Construction Cost:

$22.2M