SunPass

Last updated

SunPass
Industry Electronic toll collection
FoundedApril 24, 1999;24 years ago (1999-04-24)
Area served
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Ontario
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia
Products Transponders
Owner Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
Website sunpass.com

SunPass is an electronic toll collection system within the state of Florida, United States. It was created in 1999 by the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT's) Office of Toll Operations, operating now as a division of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). The system utilizes windshield-mounted RFID transponders manufactured by TransCore and lane equipment designed by companies including TransCore, SAIC, and Raytheon.

Contents

History

SunPass was introduced on April 24, 1999, and by October 1 of the same year, more than 100,000 SunPass transponders had been sold. [1] [2]

In early 2009, all Easy Pay customers automatically became SunPass Plus customers if they opt-in and have the privilege of using their transponders to pay for airport parking at Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports. Customers can opt out of the SunPass Plus program. [3]

Functionality

The Mini was introduced on July 1, 2008, and became available at retail locations. The Mini is a RFID passive transponder, about the size of a credit card, and requires no batteries. The transponder must be mounted on the glass windshield of the vehicle to work properly and, once applied, cannot be removed from a windshield without destroying the pass. The SunPass Mini sticker will not work on motorcycle windshields as they are not made of glass. [4] [5]

SunPass Portable (or SunPass Pro) transponders can be transferred between vehicles. The Sunpass Pro portable transporter offers E-ZPass interoperability, unlike the Mini. Customers must establish an opening account of at least $10 to fund their tolls. Unused toll fees are only refunded if the user closes the account or takes advantage of a money-back guarantee.

Technology

Signs on Orchard Pond Parkway near Tallahassee indicate payment is only by SunPass or toll-by-plate. CR0344eRoad-SunPassSign (28565764934).jpg
Signs on Orchard Pond Parkway near Tallahassee indicate payment is only by SunPass or toll-by-plate.

SunPass-only toll lanes on most toll roads in Florida allow a vehicle to proceed through the tollbooth at speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) as a safety precaution. The Turnpike utilizes all-electronic tolling (AET) and toll by plate which handles highway speeds. The mainline toll barriers have dedicated lanes capable of full-speed automatic toll collection at up to 65 mph (105 km/h).

Florida's Turnpike Enterprise converted the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike, the Sawgrass Expressway, and the Veterans Expressway to open road tolling, utilizing the SunPass transponders, in September 2010, February 2011, April 2014, and June 2014 respectively, ceasing cash collection. This allows free-flowing movement on both toll roads, moving through toll gantries at the former toll plazas. Motorists without a SunPass are billed through toll by plate. [6] [7] [8] Toll-by-Plate uses cameras and sends a bill to the registered owner of the vehicle. The bill consists of the toll and an administrative fee. [9] If the person fails to pay the toll and accompanying fees at all, the person would be fined $100 plus the tolls owed; in some cases, court costs, points against the driver's license, and the suspension of the license and registration would also be levied. [10]

Interoperability

Compatibility of the SunPass throughout the US. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} SunPass Pro transponders only SunPass Mini and Pro transponders *Works in parts of Texas Sunpass Map.jpg
Compatibility of the SunPass throughout the US.
  SunPass Pro transponders only
  SunPass Mini and Pro transponders
*Works in parts of Texas

SunPass is fully interoperable with E-Pass (from the Central Florida Expressway Authority), O-Pass (from Osceola County, which has been folded into E-Pass), LeeWay (from Lee County toll bridges) and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) toll roads.

SunPass, like other electronic toll collection (ETC) systems in Florida, was not initially compatible with systems outside of Florida. The federal MAP-21 transportation bill passed in July 2012 required all toll facilities to have interoperable road tolling systems by October 1, 2016, but it was not met. [11] SunPass announced in 2012 for plans to eventually become interoperable with E-ZPass. [12] As a step towards this, the older battery-powered SunPass transponders were phased out by the end of 2015; new batteryless models can work with tolling equipment in other states. [13] [14]

On July 29, 2013, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise made an interoperability agreement with North Carolina Turnpike Authority and its NC Quick Pass, allowing SunPass holders to utilize North Carolina's toll roads and lanes. [15] [16]

On November 12, 2014, an interoperability agreement was made with Georgia's Peach Pass, allowing SunPass holders to utilize the I-85 Express lanes and any future toll roads or lanes in the state. [17] [18]

The C-Pass system operated by Miami-Dade County Public Works on the Rickenbacker and Venetian Causeways was replaced by SunPass and pay-by-plate on September 23, 2014. [19]

In July 2020, E-ZPass announced that SunPass would be compatible with E-ZPass by the end of that year, along with Peach Pass in 2021. On May 28, 2021, the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise announced that its SunPass facilities would begin accepting E-ZPass. In addition, E-ZPass facilities began accepting SunPass Pro transponders (but not earlier SunPass transponders such as the SunPass Portable and SunPass Mini). [20] [21]

On February 27, 2023, it was announced that SunPass was now compatible with the toll roads in Kansas and Oklahoma, as well as on certain toll roads in Texas. [22] [23] Both the SunPass Mini and SunPass Pro transponders are supported. Certain transponders from these three states can be used on all roads maintained by the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. But Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas transponders currently cannot be used on any roads or portions of roads maintained by the Central Florida Expressway Authority.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toll road</span> Roadway for which a fee (or toll) is assessed for passage

A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and maintenance.

E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencies in several states, which use the same technology and allow travelers to use the same transponder on toll roads throughout the network.

Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91, is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately 309 miles (497 km) along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two sections. The SR 91 mainline runs roughly 265 miles (426 km), from its southern terminus at an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95) in Miami Gardens to an interchange with I-75 in Wildwood at its northern terminus. The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike continues from the southern end of the mainline for another 48 miles (77 km) to US Highway 1 in Florida City. The slogan for the road is "The Less Stressway". The mainline opened in stages between 1957 and 1964, while the extension was completed in 1974. The turnpike runs through Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, where it parallels I-95, and through Orlando, where it crosses I-4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 528</span> Highway in Florida

State Road 528 (SR 528), alternatively named the Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway, is a partially-tolled state road in the U.S. state of Florida; it is maintained by the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE), the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning approximately 53 miles (85 km) along a west–east axis, it connects Interstate 4 (I-4) in Orlando with I-95, Titusville, and Cape Canaveral on the Space Coast. It passes close to the tourist areas of Orlando, including SeaWorld and Universal Orlando, and serves the north entrance to Orlando International Airport. Near its east end, it passes over the Intracoastal Waterway on the Emory L. Bennett Causeway, and ends at SR A1A and SR 401 near Port Canaveral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EZ TAG</span>

EZ TAG is an electronic toll collection system in Houston, Texas, United States, that allows motorists to pay tolls without stopping at toll booths. Motorists with the tags are allowed to use lanes reserved exclusively for them on all Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) roads. As of late 2003, the EZ TAG can also be used on all lanes of tolled roadways in Texas that accommodate electronic toll collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast Lane (E-ZPass)</span>

Fast Lane was the original branding for the electronic toll collection system used on toll roads in Massachusetts, including the Massachusetts Turnpike, Sumner Tunnel, Ted Williams Tunnel, and Tobin Bridge. It was introduced in 1998, and later folded into the E-ZPass branding in 2012. Fast Lane transponders were fully interoperable with member agencies of the E-ZPass Interagency Group, however Fast Lane transponders afford users discounted tolls in some junctions that out-of-state users are not offered.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open road tolling</span> Boothless toll collecting

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Roy Selmon Expressway</span> Highway in Florida

The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway is a 14.168-mile (22.801 km) all-electronic, limited access toll road in Hillsborough County, Florida. It connects the South Tampa neighborhood near MacDill Air Force Base with Downtown Tampa and the bedroom community of Brandon. The expressway was built in stages, opening between 1976 and 1987. An approximately 1.9-mile extension to the thoroughfare's western terminus opened to traffic on Monday, April 19, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 836</span> Highway in Florida

The Dolphin East-West Expressway is a 15-mile-long (24 km), six-lane, divided controlled-access highway, with the westernmost 14 miles (23 km) as an all-electronic tollway signed as State Road 836, and the easternmost 1.292 miles (2.079 km) between Interstate 95 (I-95) and SR A1A cosigned as Interstate 395 (I-395). The road currently extends from just north of the intersection of Southwest 137th Avenue and U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in Tamiami, eastward past the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (HEFT) and Miami International Airport, before intersecting I-95, becoming I-395 and ending at SR A1A in Miami at the west end of the MacArthur Causeway. The Dolphin Expressway is maintained and operated by the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX), while the I-395 section is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The Dolphin Expressway from the Palmetto Expressway to I-95 opened in 1969, with the I-395 section opening in 1971, the extension to the HEFT opening in 1974 and a second western extension opening in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 869</span> Highway in Florida

Florida State Road 869 (SR 869) is a 24-mile-long (39 km) state road located in western and northern Broward County, acting as a de facto bypass of Fort Lauderdale as well as the northern coastal and southern parts of the county extending north from a junction of I-75 (SR 93), I-595 (SR 862) in Sunrise to Coral Springs where it heads eastward towards Florida's Turnpike and intersecting I-95 before terminating at Southwest 10th Avenue in Deerfield Beach. The 21.242-mile (34.186 km) section west of the Turnpike is known as the Sawgrass Expressway, a six-lane, limited-access, all-electronic toll road; the 2.745-mile (4.418 km) section east of the Turnpike is a surface street known as Southwest 10th Street. The expressway opened in 1986 and was added to Florida's Turnpike Enterprise in 1990. The at-grade section east of the Turnpike is maintained by FDOT.

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TxTag, operated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), is one of three interoperable electronic toll collection systems in Texas. The system is also interoperable with the K-TAG system used in Kansas and the Pikepass system used in Oklahoma.

The Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike (HEFT), designated as unsigned State Road 821 (SR 821), is the southern extension of Florida's Turnpike, a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately 48 miles (77 km) along a north–south axis, it supplements the 265-mile (426 km) mainline to form the complete 309-mile (497 km) turnpike. The extension begins at its southern terminus at U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Florida City, and transitions into the SR 91 mainline in Miramar at its northern end. Despite their designations as different state roads, the mainline and the extension are continuous in their exit numbering.

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The North Carolina Turnpike Authority was created in 2002 to speed the implementation of needed transportation improvements by funding some projects with tolls. Governed by a nine-member authority board, it is located within the Department of Transportation and under the direct supervision of the Secretary of Transportation. The authority has the power to study, plan, develop and undertake preliminary design work on up to eleven turnpike projects. At the conclusion of these actives, the authority is authorized to design, establish, purchase, construct, operate and maintain toll highways and bridges. The authority is also authorized to designate one or more lanes of any highway, or portion thereof, into a high-occupancy toll lanes or other type of managed lanes; provided that such designation does not reduce the number of existing non-toll general purpose lanes.

Peach Pass is an electronic toll collection system in use in the U.S. state of Georgia, which is currently used primarily for high-occupancy toll lanes and express toll lanes on Interstate 75 (I-75), I-85, and I-575 in metropolitan Atlanta. Peach Pass can also be used on toll roads in Florida and North Carolina where SunPass and NC Quick Pass are permitted, and vice versa; Peach Pass will soon become compatible with E-ZPass, which is now interoperable with the latter two systems.

References

  1. ↑ Florida's Turnpike 50 Year Celebration (PDF). Florida Department of Transportation. 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Florida's Turnpike History: 1990s". Florida's Turnpike. Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  3. ↑ "SunPass Plus Airport Parking". Florida Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  4. ↑ "South Florida". Topic Galleries. Sun Sentinel . Fort Lauderdale, FL. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  5. ↑ "SunPass". Florida's Turnpike. Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Selmon Expressway Converts to All-Electronic Tolling Sept. 17" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Selmon Expressway Prepares for September 2010 Conversion to All-Electronic Tolling" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011.
  8. ↑ Kamm, Grayson (January 13, 2009). "Bye bye, toll booths: Selmon Expressway to stop taking cash". WTSP. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ Turnbell, Michael (February 14, 2011). "Turnpike to stop taking cash on Homestead Extension Feb. 19". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL.
  10. ↑ "SunPass: "Violations - SunPass Customer"". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  11. ↑ Elliott, Chrisopher (September 27, 2018). "When will we have a nationwide toll transponder system?". USA Today . Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  12. ↑ Aten, Tim (June 4, 2012). "In the Know: Florida's SunPass soon to be interoperable with E-ZPass in 14 states". Naples News. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  13. ↑ Turnbell, Michael (August 1, 2013). "SunPass to replace oldest transponders". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Battery operated transponders no longer accepted after December 31, 2015" (PDF). Florida's Turnpike (Press release). Florida Department of Transportation. April 24, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  15. ↑ "North Carolina's Quick Pass and Florida's SunPass Now Function as One" (Press release). Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  16. ↑ "SunPass Welcomes North Carolina Quick Pass Motorists to Florida Toll Roads" (PDF). Florida's Turnpike (Press release). Florida Department of Transportation. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  17. ↑ Huppertz, Karen (November 12, 2014). "Peach Pass now works on Florida and North Carolina toll roads". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ Turnbell, Michael (November 12, 2014). "SunPass now good in both Georgia, N.C." Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Rickenbacker & Venetian Causeway Tolls Convert To SunPass". September 17, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Newest SunPass Transponders Will Work with Other States' E-ZPass Toll Readers". FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Tampa: WTVT-TV. News Service of Florida. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Florida Turnpike Teams Up with Multi-State E-ZPass System". CBS Miami. Miami: WFOR-TV. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Kansas Turnpike compatible with Florida". February 27, 2023.
  23. ↑ "SunPass: About SunPass".
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