Member Spotlight: Indiana Toll Road
Posted by Outreach on Feb. 17, 2025 / Member Spotlight / Subscribe 0
Meet Indiana Toll Road, ITS Midwest member since August 2023.
The Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) is a vital transportation corridor providing a critical link from the East Coast to Chicago, IL, and, more broadly, as part of the National Defense Highway System, to the West Coast of the United States. Operated through a 75-year public-private partnership lease with the State of Indiana, ITR Concession Company (ITRCC) places a high value on providing customers a safe and efficient transportation experience.
ITRCC prioritizes the safety of all stakeholders, whether by ensuring employees are well-equipped and trained to stay safe or employing cutting-edge technology to better protect customers.
One example of ITRCC’s commitment to safety was its approach to the national trend of wrong-way driving and its impact on motorist safety. Wrong-way driving events unfold quickly with little time for detection and alerting. To address the issue, ITRCC deployed a wrong-way driver detection and alert system. The system provides a real-time alert to the driver along with simultaneous notification to internal operations, allowing for on-road messaging and first responder notification.
In 2022, the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), a global industry association, honored ITRCC with its IBTTA Toll Excellence Award for Safety. This distinction recognized our progress in creating a wrong-way driver detection and alert system designed and deployed to mitigate the rare but extremely dangerous risks of wrong-way drivers.
More than five years ago, ITRCC first reached out to trusted partners to develop a new system to detect drivers entering the Indiana Toll Road in the wrong direction. Most incidents are the result of intoxication, distraction, or confusion. In 2020, we began to install a range of high- and low-tech safety enhancements — from new signage and LED lighting to thermal detectors and automated warnings.
These initial updates not only immediately notified any drivers who inadvertently approached the entrance of the Toll Road from the wrong way on an exit ramp, but also, they provided a rapid, real-time alert to our Traffic Management Center (TMC), ITRCC’s management team, and the Indiana State Police.
Our wrong-way driver detection works by establishing three zones: an initial detection zone, a self-correction zone, and an alert zone. If any motorist along the Toll Road enters the detection zone going the wrong direction, our system of thermal detectors, high-speed cameras, and automated warnings activate to inform the driver of the error and to turn around immediately. A notification also puts the TMC, ITRCC management, and the State Police on high alert.
If the driver does not change direction within the distance of the self-correction zone, the TMC issues a dynamic message on high-visibility signage that warns other motorists along the roadway of the impending risk ahead. The warning system also enables first responders, the State Police, and TMC operators to respond with an urgent, real-time response.
ITRCC continues to prioritize employee and road safety by enhancing work zone safety and the means and methods by which employees perform work. In 2024, ITRCC joined the Indiana Department of Transportation’s efforts to reduce injuries and fatalities on Indiana roadways by 25% over the next decade. These types of partnerships and internal initiatives continue to improve stakeholder safety across the Indiana Toll Road.
ITRCC chose to join ITS Midwest to collaborate with industry peers and stay abreast of cutting-edge technology and industry best practices. Investing in road safety and methods to advance customer safety remains our focus, and ITS Midwest provides a platform for the company to succeed in our mission.
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Indiana Toll Road
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