SICE is strengthening its presence in the USA’s ITS and tolling sectors with a contract to supply and install the ITS and ETC (electronic toll collection) systems on the State Highway 288 in Texas. The Blueridge Tolling Company has awarded SICE a contract for the design, procurement, implementation, and commissioning of the ITS systems, tolling systems, and network communications equipment. The project also includes the operational back office for the tolling system and interoperability with other external agencies. The SH 288 toll lanes project consists of a 10.3 miles (16.6km) long highway in Houston, where new two new express lanes will be constructed in the median of the northbound and southbound carriageways.
The project also includes the reconstruction of Interstate 610 and Beltway 8 connectors with SH 288. The SH 288 expansion will include a total of 18 direct connector/ramp bridges at three major interchanges: Beltway 8, Loop 610, and the Texas Medical Center. SICE’s work on the SH288 Project consists of the deployment of: 11 electronic toll collection points along the route; CCTV systems; 80 vehicle detection sensors; 30 Bluetooth monitoring units to calculate travel times; 10 variable message signs (VMS); and 11 variable toll rate signs. The equipment will control both the general and managed lanes, including the interchanges at Beltway 8 and I-610. Construction work began in October 2016, with the road due to open to tolled traffic in July 2019.
