New Jersey settles E-ZPass suit

New Jersey has tentatively agreed to a settlement with WorldCom, the state's former main contractor for the E-ZPass toll collection system, the Associated Press reported. The tentative settlement is for $10.4 million.

The state wanted $402 million when it filed suit earlier this year over problems with the E-ZPass installation on the state's toll highways. The request included $30 million the state said it needed to complete E-ZPass installation, plus money to compensate for lost tolls and fines and more money to fix WorldCom's mistakes.

The state said it was taking the settlement so it could get on with fixing the E-ZPass installation.

"We inherited a mess of proportions I can't describe, but we fixed the system and figured out a way to pay our bills, and it's all out in the open," Michael Lapolla, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's executive director, told The Record of Bergen County.

A bankruptcy court judge was scheduled to rule on the settlement at the end of September.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority would receive 80% of the settlement money. The rest would go to the other agencies involved in hiring WorldCom: the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (13%), Delaware (4%) and the South Jersey Transportation Authority (3%).

Hints of congestion relief for California's Highway 101

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is creeping toward a plan to reduce congestion on Highway 101 in California between Winchester Canyon in Goleta and the Ventura County line, the Santa Maria Times reported.

While transportation officials have not approved a plan, they did recently indicate that some form of widening of the freeway was needed and were in favor of a $1.5 million study to be conducted by a consultant. Among the measures being considered are restriping the existing roadway to create more lanes, increasing the width of the roadway, establishing car pool lanes, establishing reversible lanes and building a light rail line.

Some members of the public thought an expensive study was unnecessary, but the elected officials said it might ultimately save time. Jim Kemp, the executive director of the association of governments, said any widening project would not begin for at least 10 years, but smaller projects could proceed faster. Those smaller projects might include a tow truck patrol to help clear traffic accidents and a traveler information system to let motorists know about traffic conditions.

Congestion reduction slated for Collier County, Fla.

Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta was so excited about the recent groundbreaking on a project to widen Immokalee Road that he climbed up on a bulldozer and started the earthmoving, the Naples Daily News reported. He was excited because he worked for years to convince local officials that the highly traveled two-lane road was dangerously congested with commuters traveling between Immokalee and Naples.

The current contract is for APAC-Southeast Inc. to widen an 8.1-mile segment of the road from two lanes to four at a cost of $29.6 million. The county officials are considering whether to add another two lanes for a total of six at an additional cost of $4 million.

Construction is planned in three phases, the third of which should be completed by the end of 2007.

Politics bad for traffic?

Some motorists are unhappy with political campaigns on Seattle's highways, according to a report in the Seattle Times. The Washington State DOT removed one political banner hung on an overpass above I-405 after receiving complaints that the sign was creating a huge traffic snarl.

"While we respect the right of free speech, banners and signs can distract drivers," Stan Suchan of the WSDOT told the Seattle Times. "WSDOT removes them when they are a safety hazard or cause congestion and are on WSDOT right-of-way. When signs or banners create a hazard, we remove them regardless of content, whether they advertise the world's best burger or someone's political point of view."

South Jersey moving forwardwith high-speed E-ZPass

The South Jersey Transportation Authority is moving ahead with plans to open high-speed E-ZPass lanes on the Atlantic City Expressway by Memorial Day 2004. The authority originally planned to have the lanes open by the end of this year, but the original construction bids were too high and were rejected. A second round of bids came in under budget.

The authority plans to install four high-speed E-ZPass lanes, two in each direction, at the expressway's Pleasantville toll plaza, the Press of Atlantic City reported. Motorists will be able to drive at 45-55 mph under gantries containing equipment to read the E-ZPass windshield transponders.

"It's going to be much more convenient by the sheer fact that you're traveling through at highway speeds rather than the 15 mph limit now," said Samuel L. Donelson, the authority's deputy chief engineer.

Donelson said the authority was set to award a $4.3 million contract in mid-September, and construction work should start in October.