Kapsch delivers North Carolina's first in-ground sensor-free, multi-protocol tolling system on the Triangle Expressway

NCTA's Triangle Expressway had operated on legacy roadside toll collection technology since 2011, in need of replacement to keep pace with the region's growth. As the road expanded, NCTA required a solution that could extend tolling to new zones on the Complete 540 Phase 1 corridor without adding costly in-pavement infrastructure or slowing construction. The initial TriEx deployment used in-ground loops, but Kapsch demonstrated the system could meet NCTA's performance requirements without in-ground sensors upon launching Complete 540 Phase 1 with an all-overhead system design. This deployment included both a brownfield system replacement on Tri-Ex, and a greenfield system installation on C540 Phase 1. 

• Aging infrastructure: The legacy Roadside Toll Collection System needed a full replacement and upgrade to support continued operations and expansion. 
• Growth without added roadside footprint: New toll zones on the Phase 1 extension needed to launch without in-ground sensors, minimizing long-term maintenance costs and construction impact. 
• Multi-protocol interoperability: The system needed to serve North Carolina Quick Pass transponder holders and license-plate billing customers alike, across a mixed tag environment. 

In 2018, NCTA selected Kapsch to replace and upgrade the Triangle Expressway's roadside toll collection system and to design, install, and integrate new toll zones and ITS components for the Complete 540 Phase 1 extension, which opened to traffic in September 2024. 

• Triangle Expressway (TriEx): 18.8 miles, 22 toll zones (10 mainline, 12 ramps) 
• Complete 540 Phase 1: 17.8-mile extension, 12 mainline toll zones 
• 500,000+ daily transactions processed across both roadways 
• Transponder and automatic vehicle identification (AVI) equipment supplied for 12 toll zones, supporting barrier-free tolling for all drivers 

• Vehicle classification and detection: Axle-based classification via fully overhead nVDC technology 
• Multi-protocol AVI: Tri-protocol toll tag readers supporting a mixed transponder environment, enabling NCTA to be the first multi-protocol tolling facility in the United States with both the extension of the expressway and completion of the 540 project. 
• Image-based tolling: Automatic license plate recognition (APLR) using license plate cameras and OCR, with full toll tag and image transaction processing and manual image review 
• Redundant host architecture: A central Host aggregates all transaction and image data, backed by a duplicate disaster-recovery Host operating in parallel for failover protection 
• Connected roadway monitoring: Integrated ITS including incident management cameras, traffic detectors, variable message signs, and wrong-way vehicle detection, all connected to central software for real-time roadway management 
• Wireless backbone: A redundant wireless networking layer between toll zones and the central host, offering a cost-effective alternative to fiber connectivity 
• 24/7 monitoring and maintenance: Ongoing system monitoring, reporting, and real-time operations support through Kapsch's maintenance and operations management services