The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has awarded Kapsch TrafficCom (Kapsch) a contract to replace and maintain all roadside tolling equipment in the mixed-mode, cash, and express toll lanes under MDTA management. The contract includes hardware upgrades at all MDTA bridge and tunnel facilities, including the iconic William Preston Lane Memorial Bay Bridge and the Fort McHenry Tunnel, as well as along the Intercounty Connector/MD 200 and I-95 Express Lanes. The base contract includes the replacement of all toll equipment and six years of subsequent operations and maintenance.
The new roadside equipment will include RFID toll readers, automated license place recognition (ALPR) cameras, and scanners in the mixed-mode lanes. In addition, Kapsch will install its groundbreaking stereoscopic Vehicle Detection and Classification sensor (nVDC) in the all-electronic toll (AET) lanes. The nVDC is a 3D video-based sensor that can track and classify vehicles throughout the entire toll zone while triggering ALPR cameras. Trip-building will be a feature of the new toll system, a proven Kapsch solution in which individual vehicle transactions at toll points are grouped into sets of continuous trips, and that correlate with transponder reads and license plate numbers to produce a single billable trip for a vehicle’s entire journey. As part of the system replacement, Kapsch will also provide license plate image-review services and fully-formed transactions to the MDTA back office, enhancing accuracy and auditability of the tolling system.
Kapsch is a leading provider of toll collection systems throughout the world and has provided products and services to the Maryland Transportation Authority through the E-ZPass Group since 1994.
Chris Murray, president of Kapsch TrafficCom North America, stated: “We are glad to partner with MDTA as they bring their toll system to a leading standard in all-electronic tolling. By providing Kapsch roadside equipment and innovative trip-building features, MDTA will be able to offer customers an increased level of service with increased functionality, accurate transactions, and a proven solution.”
MDTA Executive Director Kevin C. Reigrut added: “We are looking forward to our partnership with Kapsch. Reliability, collaboration and flexibility will drive this transformation and will allow us to meet the evolving needs of our customers and provide them with the level of customer service they deserve.”
The project will be managed locally from the Kapsch office in Rockville, Maryland. All facilities are expected to be converted to the Kapsch system by 2020.
