OLYMPIA, Jan. 3 -The Washington State Department of Transportation announces a major milestone for tolling in our state, by contracting with Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC) of Richardson, Texas, to establish and operate a new statewide customer service center for toll operations.

Under the contract signed Dec. 23, 2009, ETC will provide customer service for the Good To Go! electronic tolling program, as well as payment processing, violation collections and business management. The five-year contract will begin Jan. 11, 2010, and is valued at approximately $23 million.

"We are moving forward with a statewide tolling system that is focused on the customer," said Craig Stone, WSDOT Toll Division Director. "Drivers will use their Good To Go! accounts at any tolling facility in the state; they will have one account, one transponder and one customer service center contact. We will implement some of the most advanced technology in the industry to provide drivers with improved traffic conditions and a cohesive, streamlined system."

ETC was selected through a competitive selection process from among five bidders. ETC will take over operation of customer service activities for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and SR 167 HOT lanes in early Spring 2011, as well as initiate customer service activities for the SR 520 bridge, which will begin all-electronic tolling in Spring 2011.

Tolling on the SR 520 bridge will be completely electronic; there will be no toll booths. All tolls will be collected electronically through prepaid Good To Go! accounts or by mail via a bill sent to the registered vehicle owner. Toll rates will vary by time of day to encourage some toll payers to drive during off-peak hours and thus reduce traffic congestion in the corridor.

ETC is known in the tolling industry for its leading innovations in large-scale electronic toll collection systems. ETC's systems currently collect about one-third of all toll transactions in the U.S.

More details about WSDOT's toll program are online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/tolling. More details about Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC) are online at http://www.etcc.com/.

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