Jim Ely, who chairs HNTB’s tolling practice and ran Florida’s Toll Enterprise for 21 years before that, believes truckers would see time savings if transit, tolling, finance and user interests are coordinated in a pilot project involving tolling one or two lanes of an urban interstate in need of repair and lacking grant funding.

Ely says he will convene a “Think Forum” within HNTB to design the pilot test this summer. Industry reviews will be completed this fall in time for consideration for funding in the reauthorization of MAP-21. Interstate tolling opponents will need to be part of the effort to design the pilot, Ely says.