Tampa, FL – On Friday, September 17, 2010, the Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority (THEA) converted the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway to non-stop, all-electronic tolling (AET). As a part of this transition, PBS&J assisted the THEA team of contractors and consultants with the procurement, design, installation, testing, and conversion of the roadside tolling technologies that make AET possible.
Drivers now have two options to pay their tolls: SunPass or “We Bill You.” SunPass users will save 25 cents at each tolling point. Those who are not registered SunPass users will be charged for tolls through the “We Bill You” program. A photo will be taken of their license plate as they pass through the toll gantry, and a bill for accumulated tolls will be mailed to the address on the license plate registration.
There are many benefits to converting to AET:
- Cost savings: Drivers who use SunPass will save 25 cents at each tolling point versus those who choose “We Bill You” by video toll collection. All drivers should see some savings by using less gas without stop-and-go traffic around toll booths.
- Convenience: No cash or exact change needed, and no rolling down windows in the rain.
- Time Savings: No waiting in line to pay or slowing down around toll plazas.
- Safety: Since there aren't any toll booths, the need to stop and pay or change lanes to pay is eliminated, making the road safer.
- Environmentally Friendly: With no stop-and-go traffic, the amount of emissions produced by idling vehicles is decreased.
According to PBS&J Vice President National Tolls Tom Knuckey, “The Selmon Expressway’s conversion to non-stop, all-electronic tolling is another example of a public agency providing innovation by making travel safer, more convenient, and better for the environment.”
For more information about the AET conversion and SunPass, please visit
www.SaveOnTolls.com.
About the Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority
The Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority (THEA) is a user-financed public agency led by a Board of local citizens. Operating with no tax dollars, the Authority develops and owns toll highways in the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County. All tolls collected by THEA are reinvested back into projects in Hillsborough County.
The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway is the Authority’s primary community asset. The Selmon Expressway is a 15-mile, limited-access highway linking the suburb of Brandon in eastern Hillsborough County to Gandy Boulevard in southwest Tampa. The Selmon Expressway is an essential commuter route to downtown Tampa, the Westshore business district and MacDill Air Force Base with local access to Hyde Park, south Tampa, the Port of Tampa and the commercial and industrial enterprises to the east along State Road 60. For more information, please visit
www.SelmonExpressway.com.
About PBS&J
PBS&J (
www.pbsj.com) is an employee-owned company that provides infrastructure planning, engineering, construction management, architecture, and program management services to public and private clients. The firm is ranked by Engineering News-Record as 28th among the nation’s top consulting firms. PBS&J is a subsidiary of The PBSJ Corporation, a family of businesses which has nearly 3,500 employees and more than 80 offices across the United States and abroad.
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