Like most transportation agencies in America, the Enterprise is very interested in new technologies with the potential to dramatically improve the nature and level of services that we offer our customers. The idea is to develop a prototype highway, showcasing the very best and latest technologies. The Enterprise will transform the Sawgrass Expressway, in Broward County, into America’s Prototype User-Financed Highway of the 21st Century. The centerpiece of this transformation will be the conversion to open road tolling. The Enterprise proposes to install a variety of roadway technologies, to widen the roadway and ramps and to incorporate aesthetic treatments to enhance the Sawgrass Expressway.

Background on Sawgrass Expressway – Florida’s Turnpike purchased the completed Sawgrass Expressway from Broward County in 1989. The locations of the mainline and ramp toll plazas have created two issues. The position of the mainline plazas near the ends of the facility creates toll-rate inequities for the short distance movements through the plazas. The unmanned “pill box” style toll plazas on the ramps were originally constructed to serve low volumes of traffic. The economics of the unmanned plazas have changed with increased traffic volumes and toll evasion.

Concept of ORT – The Enterprise is especially interested in the latest toll collection technologies, known as open road tolling (ORT). Under ORT, there would be no toll plazas, no toll collectors and no lane restrictions. Customers would no longer stop to pay a toll but would operate at highway speeds. All customers would pay tolls electronically with transponders. Every movement would pay a toll, but toll collection would be completely transparent to customers. Vehicles without transponders would be treated as violators.

There are many benefits to ORT. ORT would eliminate customer delays associated with toll collection, provide more equitable tolls and improve customer safety and traffic operations by eliminating toll plazas. ORT would enhance safety for agency personnel, who would no longer be located in toll plazas.

Other Technologies – Other roadway technologies will provide accurate real-time information about roadway conditions ahead, weather and emergencies. These technologies include a variety of traffic detection equipment in the pavement, video cameras along the roadway and interchanges, and fiber optic cable for communications between these devices and the traffic management center (TMC). This equipment would be designed to identify traffic incidents/accidents and congestion. The technologies also include dynamic message signs (DMS) and highway advisory radio (HAR) for communications with our customers. The Enterprise will expand upon current programs for enhanced safety features, including an increase in Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) patrols, an expansion of Road Ranger services, and improved procedures for the management of incidents and accidents.

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