Electronic toll collection and variable pricing

This chapter examines the incremental, societal, costs and benefits associated with (1) incorporating electronic toll collection (ETC) into an existing toll plaza, (2) replacing an existing toll plaza with electronic open road tolling, and (3) replacing the flat toll structure with a variable toll rate. Benefits resulting from the increased throughput of ETC included reduced delay, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced emissions. Costs included the purchase price, installation, and operation and maintenance costs. The analysis was based on a hypothetical toll road with three, 12-lane toll plazas and used empirical cost figures from toll plazas around the United States and Canada. Travel time benefits were derived using discrete event simulation modeling of the toll plazas. Fuel and emissions reductions were also developed via modeling. The incremental benefits of ETC were found to exceed costs in various traffic scenarios, increasingly so as traffic increased. Variable pricing was found to have significant net benefits in high traffic volumes, but costs exceeded benefits in uncongested traffic conditions.