AECOM operates the Triangle Expressway for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), a division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The Expressway is an all-electronic tollway (AET) located in the Raleigh-Durham area; and it is the first of several toll roads being built throughout the state.
As a greenfield project, AECOM led the mobilization and startup of operations for the NC QuickPass Customer Service Center (CSC) and Traffic Management Center (TMC). This effort included site selection, lease negotiation, interior design and build-out, and provisioning of the 15,000 square-foot CSC facility. The CSC consists of a call center, customer storefront, mailroom, transponder storage, and satellite TMC. The main TMC is housed within the State Traffic Operations Center that is located 10 miles from the CSC.
During the implementation and startup phase, AECOM met every milestone on time or ahead of schedule, and within budget. In addition to establishing the required facilities, our work during this time included working closely with NCTA to develop all of the project operational plans and documents which included: 16 program plans, 11 main client reports, and 219 individual standard operating procedures (SOPs) across 15 functional areas.
Since startup, AECOM has provided full management and operations of the CSC and TMC. Within 60 days of collecting the first toll, we began operating the reservation call center in support of the NCDOT Ferry Division which serves customers traveling on the seven ferries serving the Outer Banks. Today, CSC services include call center operations; customer account management; image review; video processing; bill-by-mail invoicing; mail and e-mail processing; transponder management and distribution; audit/reconciliation of interoperable transactions; and Ferry phone reservations. We also manage a front-end collection process that includes: video bill issuance, payment receipt and processing, reconciliation, customer contact and follow-up, and escalation. As video accounts age, multiple levels of noticing are followed based on NCTA policy and North Carolina legislation. When unpaid accounts age beyond the allowable limit, AECOM works with the Department of Motor Vehicles to place registration holds on the vehicle and coordinates transfer of the account to a collection agency for further action.
TMC operations are conducted 24 hours a day, year-round. These services include: control center operations, courtesy patrol dispatch, and communications with media and other external agencies. Daily coordination occurs with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, whose Troop C Communications Center also occupies the TMC.