Staff Report

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), on Monday, announced Illinois Tollway has been awarded the 2019 Toll Excellence Award for Toll Operations, Engineering and Maintenance for the development of a new back office system designed to handle significant growth over the life of the major, 15-year capital campaign, Move Illinois, including the Tollway’s first cashless roadways.

The 2019 Toll Excellence Awards will formally be presented during IBTTA’s 87th Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Sept. 15-17, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. One recipient will be honored with the prestigious President’s Award for Excellence during the awards ceremony.

“The Illinois Tollway’s ability to develop a system to handle such a major influx of volume and new complexities associated with the $14 billion Move Illinois capital campaign is an incredibly significant achievement for the transportation industry,” said Patrick Jones, Executive Director and CEO of IBTTA. “The Illinois Tollway has taken on a tough transportation challenge and worked with partners to find a practical solution. We’re incredibly proud of the work they’ve done to represent our industry. On behalf of the transportation community, we congratulate the Illinois Tollway on this well-deserved recognition.”

Jose Alvarez, Executive Director, Illinois Tollway, said in response to the award selection, “Our team took on the challenge of implementing a system that is common among Fortune 500 companies and major financial institutions, but rare in the open road tolling industry. We needed a flexible solution that prepared us for the future. This back-office solution has allowed us to enhance customer service, improve data security and adopt more complex processing systems.”

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve tolling. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in 23 countries on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st Century.

Each year, IBTTA presents the Toll Excellence Awardsto highlight the very best projects, innovations and solutions from the international tolling industry. The awards encourage the industry to share and celebrate new ideas and emerging practices in six categories: Administration and Finance; Customer Service and Marketing Outreach; Social Responsibility; Technology; Toll Operations, Engineering and Maintenance; and Private Sector Innovation.

See the 2019 winners here.