17 Mar TransCore Successfully Completes Factory Acceptance Testing of RFID Multiprotocol Technology for North Carolina Turnpike Authority
RALEIGH, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As North Carolina prepares for the opening of the state’s first toll road and all electronic toll collection system, TransCore successfully completes factory acceptance testing and certification of the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to be used statewide. The first installation will be on North Carolina’s Triangle Expressway in the Research Triangle Park.
The $1.02 billion, 18.8 mile Triangle Expressway toll road system is comprised of three segments including the Western Wake Freeway, Triangle Parkway, and existing N.C. 540 between N.C. 55 and N.C. 54. The Expressway will utilize a barrier-less, all electronic RFID-based toll collection system and is scheduled to open in late 2011 while the Western Wake Freeway is scheduled to open in 2012.
Factory acceptance testing was a fundamental criteria to validate the toll collection system prior to being successfully delivered to the Turnpike Authority. TransCore technology was subjected to the Turnpike Authority controlled testing, evaluating the performance of the Encompass®6 multiprotocol RFID readers, the eGo® Plus RFID paper-thin, batteryless windshield sticker tags, and the eZGo Anywhere™ multiprotocol RFID transponders.
“Completion of the factory acceptance tests represents a key milestone in preparing for the Triangle Expressway opening and proves the TransCore RFID technology provides the interoperability we need to have in place with the other major toll operators along the East Coast,” explained Turnpike Authority Director of Operations Barry Mickle.
The Turnpike Authority, a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, evaluated advanced technologies looking for the best value option for North Carolina motorists and one that would spur statewide adoption along with providing interoperability with other systems along the east coast from Maine to Miami.
North Carolina’s geographic location provided the Authority the opportunity to establish a bridge between the Northeast’s Interagency (IAG) states and states to the South, including South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, along with interoperability with toll systems in the central United States including Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
“This will be the first major deployment of eZGo Anywhere tags with IAG (Northeast) and SeGo (Southeast) communication protocols. Now toll authorities can provide interoperability without forcing patrons to change tags or requiring agencies to upgrade their systems,” said John Simler, president of TransCore’s Intelligent Transportation Systems. “Today, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority can be interoperable with every agency east of the Rocky Mountains.”
In the United States alone, more than 50 million motorists use RFID technology to pay tolls wirelessly without stopping. As more motorists on the nation’s roadways shift to paying tolls electronically, congestion is reduced and idle times at toll plazas eliminated, ultimately reducing vehicle emissions and improving air quality.
About TransCore
TransCore’s 75-year heritage supporting the transportation industry spans the development of RFID technology at Los Alamos National Labs to implementation of the nation’s first electronic toll collection system. With installations in 46 countries, more than 100 patents and pioneering applications of RFID technology, TransCore’s technical expertise is unparalleled in the markets it serves. In 2010, Engineering News-Record (ENR) ranked TransCore No. 140 out of the Top 500 Design Firms. TransCore is a U.S. owned and operated company with products designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States.
TransCore operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Roper Industries. Roper Industries is headquartered in the United States, is a Standard and Poor’s S&P 500 index company and trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ROP).