January 3, 2012 - 8:48am
North Carolina’s first modern toll road, the Triangle Expressway (“Tri-Ex”), begins collecting tolls today, Tuesday, January 3, on its first phase north of NC 540. The Toll 147 section of Tri-Ex, which opened to traffic in early December, extends highway 147 south more than three additional miles and creates a new signal-free connection between I-40 in Durham County with NC 540 in Wake County.
The Toll 147 turnpike freeway creates a new north-south connection through Research Triangle Park that avoids travel on I-40 and provides access to both Hopson Road and Davis Drive. Parallel connector roads between Hopson and Davis will serve as new, toll-free linkages for local RTP motorists.
The Tri-Ex will expand in three additional segments creating extensions west of NC 54, south to US 64 in Apex and further south to NC 55 in Holly Springs by December. The Toll 540 portion of Tri-Ex west of NC 54 will be activated in August 2012.
North Carolina toll roads will use automated, high-speed electronic tolling, eliminating the need to stop or slow down at physical toll booths. Travelers on the toll road will have the option to use a pre-paid N.C. Quick Pass transponder or receive an invoice as a “bill by mail” customer as overhead cameras photograph vehicle license plates. While a transponder is not required, an NC Quick Pass transponder will provide motorists with a 35% discount off of all toll rates.
RTA led the campaign to accelerate the highway 147 extension in Research Triangle Park as a toll road over seven years ago. More than 50 years after the Research Triangle Foundation reserved the land for the 147 extension, the shared efforts of the Turnpike Authority, NCDOT, area metro planning organizations, the regional business community and other partners achieve long-awaited fruition with the turnpike freeway’s opening last month and now with toll implementation.
More information:
RTA map showing the opening and toll activation dates of the four Triangle Expressway segments
http://www.letsgetmoving.org/images/uploads/pages/TriEx-opening-dates.pdf
NC Turnpike Authority map of Triangle Expressway
http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/triangleexpressway/download/ProjectMap_triangleexpressway.pdf
NC Quick Pass Transponder information
https://www.myncquickpass.com/en/home/index.shtml
RTA webpage on Triangle Expressway Turnpike
http://www.letsgetmoving.org/540
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