The US subsidiary of Indra has secured a contract worth more than 40 million euros (44 million dollars) with the Regional Toll Authority of the California Area (Carta) to deploy its 'free-flow' toll technology on the new Yolo 80 Express Lanes, as the company reported this Friday.
These toll lanes with dynamic pricing will incorporate an express toll lane in each direction of the highway that links the San Francisco Bay with Sacramento, with the aim of optimizing traffic flow.
The Spanish company will assume the design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, warranty and maintenance of both the toll system and the automatic detection system for high-occupancy vehicles (Davao) along the 27 kilometers of Interstate 80 between Davis and Sacramento, including the Yolo Causeway viaduct, a key corridor for travelers and freight transport through which around 150,000 vehicles travel daily.
Dynamic traffic management
According to Indra, this technology will make it possible to manage the lanes "dynamically to increase capacity and traffic flow, reduce congestion, shorten travel times and improve safety". Carta's chief executive, Kathleen Aziz, has emphasized that the organization is working "to offer drivers across the region reliable and lasting travel options, while generating specific revenues that will be reinvested directly in its transport corridors".
"Indra's technology will provide a 'free-flow' toll solution that requires less road equipment and will help us maintain safe and efficient traffic flow," Aziz added.
For his part, the director of traffic and infrastructure in Indra's mobility business, Manuel López Villena, highlighted that this contract "strengthens the firm's position as a technology partner for the modernization of transportation infrastructure in the US and adds to projects such as the one for I-485 in North Carolina, where they integrate connected vehicle technology into toll services".
"With Yolo 80 we give new impetus to our presence in California and we put Carta our experience in tolling and traffic management at its service to respond to the mobility challenges of one of the region's main corridors," he concluded. Indra's solution will make it possible to manage toll collection without the need to install gantries over the roadway.
Technology with 3D LiDAR sensors and less environmental impact
To do this, compact lateral detection equipment will be deployed on posts located in the median and radiofrequency identification (RFID) antennas placed on lateral supports. The system integrates state-of-the-art 3D LiDAR sensors and high-resolution cameras that allow vehicles to be identified and classified precisely, as well as recording toll operations in real time.
It also relies on off-the-shelf components (COTS) that have already been tested and are available on the market, which simplifies its deployment and subsequent maintenance. "This architecture, which combines the overhead and lateral detection of vehicles, will allow to minimize disruptions to traffic during installation and maintenance, improve the safety of the workers, and reduce costs in the long term," the multinational has said.
In the Yolo Causeway viaduct area, the solution from Indra will make it possible to collect tolls in a "reliable way and without generating light pollution," reducing the impact on the surrounding wetlands, where the largest urban colony of California bats is located.
The system has been designed with an open architecture based on application programming interfaces (APIs), which will facilitate its integration with the central toll management platform of Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), a CARTA partner.
Drivers will be able to continue using their usual telepeaje devices 'FasTrak' to access the new express lanes. The solution also integrates advanced cybersecurity mechanisms and redundant systems to protect the data and ensure continuity of service.
To carry out the project, Indra will have the collaboration of Parsons Transportation Group, which will contribute its local engineering and installation capacity, as well as its prior experience with the region’s transportation authorities.