Tolling

Why are you tolling the Port MAnn bridge?

Congestion on the Port Mann Bridge now lasts for 14 hours a day. That’s like having a rush hour that lasts all day. The Lower Mainland and the province need this project to reduce congestion and provide free-flow travel for commuters and goods movers.

The toll will be used to pay for the costs of the project and allows us to build the project now without diverting resources away from other Provincial priorities like health care, education and transit.

Once complete, the project will help travelers see a time savings of up to 30 percent - up to an hour each day.

The tolling framework, which includes HOV discounts and overnight discounts for trucks, was developed following an extensive public consultation process undertaken by the province in 2006. 70 per cent of consultation participants supported a toll on the Port Mann Bridge when combined with traffic management tools like these.

How is the tolling going to work?

The tolling system was developed based on the principles of ease of use, superior customer service, convenience and fairness.

It will use what is known as Open Road Tolling, which means that exhaust emissions from idling cars at toll booths are eliminated and bridge users don’t need to worry about exact change or delays. Open road tolling is also much safer than traditional toll booths. Instead, users' trips will be recorded through a tolling sticker that can be attached to their windshield or by license plate identification as they pass under the tolling station.

There will be multiple payment options for every type of user – those that wish to pay in person, those that prefer to pay online or with a smart phone, those that wish to have an account for convenient automatic payment and those that wish to pay-per-use.

HOW ABOUT CASUAL USERS WHO ONLY CROSS THE BRIDGE ONCE IN A WHILE?

Even occasional users would benefit from having a tolling sticker in their car or registering their license plate and a credit card number, for automatic billing.

Users who wish to pay as they go may do so using a variety of methods, such as online, via their cell phone, through their bank, or at a variety of locations offering self serve kiosks. They will be able to pay before or after using the bridge.

How will out-of-province bridge users be tolled?

There will be a variety of ways for out-of-province travelers using the bridge to pay the tolls such as online, by phone or at a variety of locations offering self serve kiosks. They will be able to pay before or after using the bridge.

Signs and information will be in place along the corridor and at tourist information centres to let people know of the many easy and convenient ways to pay on time.

Users that do not pay voluntarily will receive an invoice for their usage. The latest video technology uses high resolution video cameras that work under all weather conditions and at night. This video allows for the capture of license plate information even when plates are dirty or hard to read, or from out of province.

If I already have a Golden Ears transponder will I need a port Mann tolling stick as well?

The PMH1 and Golden Ears Bridge electronic tolling system will be fully interoperable with each other so that users of both bridges can use a single toll device.

What are all the available methods of paying the toll?

If one does not have a tolling sticker, one can:

Register their licence plate and set up automatic payment by credit card or bank account.
Pay in cash, debit or credit at the tolling operations centres. This is not a toll booth, rather motorists can pull off the road and pay at the service centres or other convenient retailers and self-serve kiosks.
Pay online, by telephone or through their bank before or after crossing the bridge.
Pre-pay online or via telephone in advance of using the bridge.

In early 2012, the PMH1 project will release more information regarding the toll, how it will work and the various payment options available.

How much will the tolls cost?

Tolls for cars will be about $3 on opening day, which is anticipated to be Winter 2012/2013.

The toll rate for mid-size vehicles such as cars pulling trailers or light trucks will be twice the rate for cars, while the rate for heavy trucks will be three times as much. The rate for motorcycles will be half the car rate.

To reduce congestion, a discount of 25% will be offered during peak periods for registered carpools with two or more passengers and an overnight discount of 50% will be offered for large commercial vehicles. Other incentives are also being considered and a refined tolling framework is expected to be released early in 2012.

Will anyone be exempt from paying the toll?

The following vehicles, after they register, will be able to receive a toll exemption:

Taxis;
Persons with disabilities (as defined under Section 2 of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act);
Vanpools (with six or more people);
Transit buses; and
First responders (e.g. police, ambulance, fire departments).

When will the new bridge open and tolling begin?

The new Port Mann Bridge is expected to be open to traffic in winter 2012/13.

The new bridge will open to traffic, and a toll assessed, only once a minimum of eight lanes (4 in each direction) are available and highway improvements on either side of the bridge, from 160 Street in Surrey to Brunette Avenue in Coquitlam are complete. Once these improvements are complete, the major bridge and highway congestion points will be removed and drivers can expect to experience significant travel time savings of up to 30%, saving up to an hour per day.

The remaining two lanes of the bridge are not required to provide these travel time savings. Rather, they are necessary to ensure the bridge has the required capacity to keep up with demand as the population of the Lower Mainland continues to grow in the years to come.

Why will the toll only apply to the bridge and not to the rest of the project?

A variety of models, including extending the tolling to portions of the highway were considered. Following a review of the possible scenarios, the decision was made to toll the bridge for a number of reasons:

The bridge represents the single biggest component of the project, more than a third of the cost, so it makes sense to focus tolling there.

The bridge is primarily responsible for the current congestion and bridge users will therefore benefit the most from the project.

Research indicates that a single point toll is the most effective means of maintaining efficiency and managing traffic. Tolling portions of the highway could have the effect of encouraging vehicles to leave the highway and use neighbourhood streets to avoid paying the toll – something we want to avoid.

Who will collect the tolls?

TI Corp is an independent Crown Corporation established under the Transportation Investment Act and is responsible for ongoing operations and maintenance of the project including collecting tolls and managing debt repayment.

Through a competitive selection process, TI Corp has retained a tolling operator. The operator will be responsible for all activities associated with operating the toll system, including customer service, helping customers set up accounts, answering questions about account options and programs that may work best for customers, billing and accepting payments in person, by phone and online.

TI Corp will ensure the operator meets high standards of convenience, fairness and superior customer service. This oversight role will be similar to the one that currently exists between TI Corp and the design-build contractor who is required to meet the standards and timelines prescribed by TI Corp. The operator will be in place by the spring of 2012 to ensure all systems are up and running in well in advance of registrations and bridge opening.

How much revenue will TI Corp collect and how many years of tolling will be required to pay for the PMH1 Project?

TI Corp is responsible for construction of the PMH1 Project, ongoing maintenance of the bridge and highway and administration of the tolling system to collect the necessary revenues to repay the project debt and cover ongoing operations costs.

Following construction, TI Corp’s annual expenses are estimated at approximately $250 million per year. This figure includes all costs –bridge and highway maintenance and ongoing operations as well as debt servicing and repayment. Although it is premature to forecast precise revenues and costs beyond the next three to four years, annual expenses in future years are expected to be generally in line with this figure.

TI Corp expects to reach Positive Net Income - the point at which revenues collected are greater than liabilities (such as debt repayment) – within five years of commencing tolling. It is expected to take approximately 35-40 years to collect the necessary revenue to meet these obligations and fully repay the cost of building the PMH1 Project.

Will tolls be removed once the project is paid for?

The Province has committed to removing the tolls on the Port Mann Bridge once the project has been fully paid for. It is anticipated that this will take 35 to 40 years.

When will more information be available about tolling?

TI Corp is committed to providing the information that highway users need to make informed decisions about tolling well in advance of the opening of the new bridge. A tolling public education and awareness campaign will begin spring / summer 2012.