Kapsch TrafficCom México Awarded Contract to Provide Electronic Toll System for Highways in Mexico

MÉXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With a strong track record in Mexico, Kapsch TrafficCom has been selected by Coconal to provide the engineering, supply and installation of its SmartTOLL™ tolling solution for 64 lanes that make up the “MRO Paquete Noreste” project in the country’s northeast region.

“MRO Paquete Noreste” is part of a current initiative by the Mexican government through its entity BANOBRAS (Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos), Mexico´s development bank whose purpose is to finance public services. The objective of this model is to improve the quality of the highways in the country by promoting public-private partnerships.

The project encompasses 350 km of highways and bridges that will be renovated, operated and maintained by Coconal and its spin-offs OPASA and OPAN, based on a ten-year contract. Coconal is one of the most reputable Mexican infrastructure companies with seventy years’ presence in the region.

New tolling system to ensure safe and fast transit

Tolling will play a key role in the project, as the investment in the project is supposed to get paid off with the funds generated from tolling revenue. The existing system will be upgraded in order to allow for electronic payment on all lanes and meet all the requirements involved in ETC (electronic toll collection) operations.

Implementing the SmartTOLL™ solution will mean upgrading the full lane equipment, including all the plaza and central systems under operation. The solution brings key features such as a the InterOpeFlex™ module, for interchanging ETC transactions and records with the current nationwide ETC operator controlled by BANOBRAS. It also includes a smart queue detection feature to support the highway operator in making decisions depending on traffic demand, as well as state of the art replication and data management technologies resulting from Kapsch’s vast experience in tolling all around the world.

Eliminating cash payments and implementing electronic toll collection has been a growing trend in Latin America since the pandemic started, to avoid contact and prevent infection. According to Juan Zamakona, Vice President Kapsch TrafficCom Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, “Implementing a solution with all the features SmartTOLL brings, especially electronic toll collection, will also allow for a more flexible and fast tolling experience for drivers around the newly remodeled and controlled routes”