**NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Imple**  **mentation of Express**  **EZ -**  **Pass Toll Collection**

**RACM Analysis**

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. Page 1 **Control Measure:** Reduce the delays and idling emissions associated with toll plazas by adding Express EZ Pass lanes that allow users to bypass booths and proceed through the toll collect ion area at close to usual highway speeds **Description:** At toll plaz as throughout the state, significant emissions are associated with the queuing to pay tolls and the excessive delays associated with toll plazas during peak periods. To alleviate these delays, Express EZ
- Pass high er speed toll collection facilities that a llow traffic to pass safely at close to mainline speeds either have been or are in the process of being installed at a number of major toll plazas. Three additional locations along the Garden State Parkway, namely the Union, Essex and Barnegat Toll Plazas , are scheduled to have new high speed lanes in operation prior to 2009/2010. **Methodology :**  The NJ
-AQONE software package contains a methodology for estimating the air quality impacts at toll plazas using a deterministic , queuing model approach

. This ap proach based largely on estimating the queue lengths generated under various operating conditions , along with the average speeds associated with each segment as a vehicle travels trough the toll facility. Information specific to each plaza, including the current and future con figurations of the plazas, percent of users with an EZ
- Pass at each plaza, and total traffic volume estimates were obtained from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. A summary of the data is provided below: **Essex Toll Plaza (Essex Cou nty)**  Current Configuration: 2 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 4 Accepting all Payment types, 5 EZ Pass only booths Future Configuration : 2 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 4 Accepting all Payment types, 1 EZ Pass only Booth and 3 Express EZ Pass Lanes Traffic Volume : 65, 267 % Vehicles with EZ
- Pass: 59% % of EZ
- Pass Vehicles using High Speed Lanes: 90%**NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Imple**  **mentation of Express**  **EZ -**  **Pass Toll Collection**

**RACM Analysis**

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. Page 2 **Barnegat Toll Plaza (Ocean County )**  Current Configuration: 3 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 2 accepting all Payment types, 2 EZ Pass only booths Future Configuration : 2 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 2 accepting all Payment types, No EZ Pass only Booth and 2 Express EZ Pass Lanes Daily Traffic Volume : 22,484 % Vehicles with EZ
- Pass: 67% % of EZ
- Pass Vehicles using High Speed Lanes: 90% **Union Toll Plaza (Union County)** C urrent Configuration: 3 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 6 accepting all Payment types, 6 EZ Pass only booths Future Configuration : 3 Booths accepting no EZ Pass, 4 accepting all Payment types, 3 EZ Pass only Booth and 3 Express EZ Pass Lanes Daily Traffic Volume : 79,662 % Vehicles with EZ
- Pass: 58% % of EZ
- Pass Vehicles using High Speed Lanes : 60%* * Due to a ramp configuration, not all traffic will be able to access the High Speed lanes and a lower % was assumed accordingly Note that all the toll plazas anal yzed have already had tolls removed in one direction to help improve traffic flow. However, since this improvement is already in place, only the benefits due to the installation of the Express EZ
- Pass lanes were considered. **Emission Reductions ( Statewide**  **Benefits )**  **:**

**Pollutant Ty**  **pe An**  **aly sis Year 2009** 

Tons/Day Tons/Year **VOC** 0.02 4
- **NOx** 0.004 5 0.88 **PM2.5**
- 0.000 32 **SO 2**  - 0.0000 33**NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Imple**  **mentation of Express**  **EZ -**  **Pass Toll Collection**

**RACM Analysis**

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. Page 3 **Ozone A naly** **sis –**  **Daily Benefits in New** **Jersey**
**Benefits (Reductions)**  **Ozone Non -** **At tainment A**  **rea**

**New York -**  **N. New Jersey**  **- Long Island,**  **NY -**  **NJ -**  **CT Philadelphia**  ****

**Wilmin gton**  **- Atlantic City**  **PA -**  **NJ -**  **MD -**  **DE VOC (Tons/Day** **)** 0.024 0.000022 **NOx (Tons/Day** **)** 0.0045 Negl.
**PM2.5 A naly** **sis –**  **An nual Benefits**  **in New Jersey**

**Benefits (Reductions)**  **PM 2.5**  **Non -** **At tainment A**  **rea**

**New York -**  **N. New Jersey**  **- Long Island,**  **NY -**  **NJ -**  **CT Philadelphia**  **** **Wilmin gton**  **PA -**  **NJ -**  **DE NOx (Tons/Year)**  0.88
- **PM2.5 (Tons/Year)** 0.00032
- **SO 2**  **(Tons/Year)** 0.000033
-

**Cost/Benefit A naly** **sis** Total costs were estimated using published estimates of average costs of the Express EZ
- Pass locations in NJ of $8

- 12 Million per location. The Union and Essex location were assumed to be at the upper end of that range, the Barnegat Plaza at the lower end. W hile some operating cost savings may be expected due to reduced staffing needs, estimates of this were unavailable and not taken into consideration

. Estimated Total Cost : **$32 Million** Approximate Annual cost over 15 years: **$ 2,133,333**  **/A nnually** **NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Imple**  **mentation of Express**  **EZ -**  **Pass Toll Collection**

**RACM Analysis**

Michael Baker Jr., Inc. Page 4 **Cost/Benefit Results**

**Pollutant Cost/Benefit for Each Pollutant**  **Ozone** ***** **PM 2.5 NY**  **- NJ**  **- CT**  **PA -**  **NJ -**  **DE**  

** MD** **NY -**  **NJ -**  **CT PA**  **- NJ**  **- DE**  VOC ($/Ton/Day) $355,556 $387,878,727

- - NOx ($/Ton/Day) $1,896,296 NA**
- - NOx ($/Ton/Year)

- - $1,657,542

- PM2.5 ($/Ton/Year)

- - N/A**
- SO2 ($/Ton/Year)

- - N/A**
- *Daily Costs used in calculation of cost/benefit ratio are A nnual costs divided by 250 ** No significant Air Quality Benefit