Conduent Transportation has secured a new contract to upgrade and maintain the toll collection system on the Ohio Turnpike, a 241-mile limited-access toll highway in the US state of Ohio.

The company was selected by the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, which owns and operates the highway.

The contract involves upgrading equipment on a total of 216 lanes to improve operational efficiency.

The modernisation will lead to the implementation of self-service and toll collector-operated toll plazas, as well as open-road, automated tolling points to enable E-ZPass transactions.

In addition, Conduent Transportation will deploy multi-mode automated toll payment machines, which are designed to accept transactions with contactless payments, as well as coins, cash and credit / debit cards.

The installation of the new equipment is expected to be completed by early 2023.

Conduent Transportation Global Public Sector Solutions president Mark Brewer said: “As a leader in the tolling industry for more than 25 years, Conduent is proud to partner with the Commission to deliver advanced technology and modern solutions for Ohio motorists.

“Our toll collection system is secure and innovative. We look forward to meeting and exceeding the needs of the state and travellers for many years to come.”

The contract is scheduled to begin this year and will continue to 2034, if all options are exercised.

The Ohio Turnpike is one of the longest toll roads in the US. The highway runs through the northern part of the state, connecting the Indiana and Pennsylvania borders.

It supports around 53 million vehicle movements annually.