The R.I. Department of Transportation signed a contract with Kapsch TrafficCom IVHS Inc. to design and build the electronic facilities and infrastructure for the state’s new truck-only tolling program, it announced in a press release on Wednesday.
The truck-only tolls are a component of the RhodeWorks program, a 10-year plan to improve and repair Rhode Island’s roads and bridges, as well as create jobs. Kapsch, an Austrian company with headquarters in McLean, Va., will also operate and maintain the tolling facilities, which are expected to take two years to complete at a projected cost of $68.9 million, $13 million less than the original estimate for the project, according to RIDOT. The department estimates the revenue from the tolls will provide 10 percent of the annual revenue to support the RhodeWorks project.
“With this contract, we take another step forward toward rebuilding our infrastructure as we develop the tolling systems that will provide the additional reliable and sustainable funding to fix our roads and bridges,” RIDOT director Peter Alviti Jr. said. “We look forward to breaking ground in the fall and getting the first tolling locations operational by the end of this year.”
Kapsch was selected from a group of six other electronic tolling companies who competed in a request for proposals that went out in December of last year. Construction of the facilities is expected to be ongoing through 2018, with locations coming online as they’re built.
Liz Lee is a reporter for PBN.
