Australia’s first tag-free toll road has been announced, with a major Sydney tunnel to reach the milestone when it opens to traffic in late 2028.
The first new road crossing of Sydney Harbour in over 30 years will be installed in the coming years, with the New South Wales government confirming the Western Harbour Tunnel will feature a video-based solution that matches licence plates to toll accounts without any need for the familiar ‘beep’ of the e-tag.
This Australian-first technology will eliminate the need for the e-tags, reducing the costs of tolling infrastructure and complexity while reducing plastic and battery waste.
The NSW government says it’ll also maintain the same high-performance of traditional tolling systems.
The announcement follows a competitive tender, with the US-based TransCore winning the contract for tolling the 6.5km tunnel.
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As part of a global group with more than 800 projects in over 150 cities, TransCore’s technology is in use in North America and Europe.
The procurement process attracted significant global interest, with 10 companies submitting expressions of interest and three short-listed. Drivers using the Western Harbour Tunnel will not need to change anything as long as they have an existing toll account linked to their licence plate and personal details.
“This is a smart solution that will simplify the tolling process and reduce the costs of tag infrastructure,” NSW transport minister John Graham says.
“This technology is likely to be adopted on other toll roads and will help us to keep advancing a streamlined and sustainable toll network into the future.”
NSW roads minister Jenny Aitchison says the government is building the Western Harbour Tunnel as a public asset, bringing the most advanced tolling technology in the world with it.
“Revenue collected from the Western Harbour Tunnel toll will be reinvested in our state, not given to private operators,” she says.
“Drivers won’t need to change a thing. They’ll simply drive through knowing the latest technology is working behind the scenes to make their journey easier, faster and more reliable.”
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