Border-Wide Assessment of

Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) 

Technology—Current and Future Concepts

Final Report

July 2012

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Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report July 2012

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HOP-12-015

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Border-Wide Assessment of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) 

Technology—Current and Future Concepts

– Final Report

5. Report Date

July 2012

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)

Rajat Rajbhandari, Juan Villa, Roberto Macias, William Tate

8. Performing Organization Report No.

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Texas Transportation Institute Battelle Memorial Institute

Texas A&M University System 505 King Avenue

3135 TAMU Columbus, OH 43201

College Station, TX 77843-3135

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-06-D-00007/Task BA07-083

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D. C. 20590

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Final Report covering 8/27/2010 to 

2/28/2012

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

HOP

15. Supplementary Notes

16. Abstract

The purpose of this effort was to conduct a border-wide assessment of the use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) 

technologies and operational concepts at and near land border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico. The work focused on 

tolling, traffic management and operations, and safety. The specific objectives of this project were to research, assess and

document how ITS technologies can be used in areas of:

• Toll collection and management in border regions, identifying technology used, system components, and any 

special data sharing arrangements between the two countries.

• Transportation operations and traffic management in US/MX border regions.

• Transportation safety policy and operations.

• Traffic management, traffic operation and traffic enforcement on tolled roads/tolled border-crossing roads.

• Archiving toll and traffic management data.

17. Key Word 

Border

Technology

Intelligent Transportation System

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

132

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report i July 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................... vii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... xiii

Background........................................................................................................................... xiii

Approach............................................................................................................................... xiii

Scan Assessment Key Findings............................................................................................ xiii

Border Operations ......................................................................................................... xiii

Tolling at Land Border Crossings ................................................................................. xiv

Traffic Management and Traveler Information.............................................................. xv

Archived Data Management........................................................................................... xv

Emerging Technologies................................................................................................. xvi

Inventory of ITS Projects on the U.S.-Mexico Border Regions.................................... xvi

Workshop 1 Findings........................................................................................................... xvii

Workshop 2 Findings........................................................................................................... xvii

Conclusions.......................................................................................................................... xvii

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 1

Background.............................................................................................................................. 1

Objectives of the Study............................................................................................................ 1

Assessment Methodology........................................................................................................ 2

Organization of the Report ...................................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER 2. CROSS-BORDER COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE VEHICLE 

PROCESSES ................................................................................................................................. 7

Border-Crossing Process at the U.S.-Mexico Border.............................................................. 7

Northbound Commercial Vehicle Crossing Process........................................................ 7

Commercial Border-Crossing Security Programs............................................................ 9

Southbound Commercial Vehicle Crossing ................................................................... 10

Passenger Vehicle Crossing Process.............................................................................. 10

Passenger Vehicle Border-Crossing Security Programs ................................................ 10

Technology at Land Ports of Entry........................................................................................ 11

Technology for the SENTRI and NEXUS Programs..................................................... 11

Commercial Vehicle Inspection Technologies............................................................... 15

CHAPTER 3. TOLLING IN BORDER REGIONS ............................................................... 17

Transaction Processing (Interoperability, Charging, Collections) ........................................ 18

U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada Bi-National Tolling Implementation Approaches........ 22

Tolling Overview in Texas beyond the Border.............................................................. 23

Methods of Toll Collection ............................................................................................ 25

Toll Rate Determination Based on Time of Day and Congestion Levels...................... 28

Coordination of Toll Rates between Operators on Opposite Sides of Borders and 

Supporting Agreements.................................................................................................. 29

In-Lane and Post-Event Enforcement Strategies for Drivers Avoiding Tolls................ 29
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Final Report ii July 2012

Accepted Currency for Manual Payment Facilities........................................................ 30

Technology ............................................................................................................................ 30

Cross-Border Scan of Tolling Technologies and Tolling Standards Used by 

Regional Partners............................................................................................................ 30

Enforcement Technologies Being Applied for Toll Payment Capture .......................... 30

Dedicated Short Range Communication Technology Use at the Border....................... 32

CHAPTER 4. TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC 

MANAGEMENT AND ENFORCEMENT.............................................................................. 35

Transportation Operations..................................................................................................... 35

Level of Data Sharing and Integration with Mexican Partners...................................... 35

Technology Used for Inspecting, Weighing, and Screening to Increase 

Efficiency ....................................................................................................................... 37

Technology Being Deployed or Proposed to Improve Border-Crossing Time by 

CBP................................................................................................................................. 38

Planned Special Events at and around Border Crossings............................................... 40

Real-Time Incident Management at and around Border Crossings ............................... 42

Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery ........................................................... 45

Traffic Management .............................................................................................................. 47

Technology and State-of-Practice Scan to Measure and Share Border Wait 

Times and Delay............................................................................................................. 47

Level of Integration between Traffic Operations and Management Systems on 

Opposite Sides of the Border.......................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER 5. TRAVELER INFORMATION AND ARCHIVED DATA 

MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 61

Traveler Information.............................................................................................................. 61

Use of Variable Message Signs at and around Border Crossings.................................. 61

Use of Social Networking Sites, Web Sites, and Mobile Devices................................. 63

Effectiveness of Traveler Information at Border Crossings........................................... 68

Archived Data Management.................................................................................................. 69

Use of Archived ITS Data for Border Infrastructure Planning and Operation............... 70

Existing and Planned Sources of Archived Border ITS Data......................................... 72

Technical Issues Related to Border ITS Data Archiving ............................................... 74

CHAPTER 6. INVENTORY OF ITS PROJECTS ON THE U.S.-MEXICO 

BORDER REGIONS.................................................................................................................. 81

Projects under Construction................................................................................................... 81

Various Border Wait-Time Measurement Projects in Texas ......................................... 81

Border Waits Analysis Project in Nogales, Arizona ...................................................... 82

State Route 905/Otay Mesa POE, San Diego Region .................................................... 82

Projects Being Procured ........................................................................................................ 83

ITS Pre-Deployment Strategy for SR-11 and the Otay Mesa East POE........................ 83

Projects under Consideration................................................................................................. 84

San Ysidro POE, San Diego Region .............................................................................. 84

State-of-the-Art ITS at Border Crossings in the El Paso Region ................................... 84
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Final Report iii July 2012

ITS Projects under Development in Mexico ......................................................................... 85

National Strategic Plan for Planning, Developing, and Implementing ITSs in 

Mexico............................................................................................................................ 85

Development Plan for Updating Processes, Standards, and ITS Protocols.................... 85

Development of the Traveler Information System (INFOVIAJE)................................. 85

Strategic Plan for the Modernization and Improvement of the Electronic Toll 

Collection System........................................................................................................... 85

CHAPTER 7. WORKSHOP ORGANIZATION AND FINDINGS...................................... 87

Key Outcomes from the Workshops...................................................................................... 87

Tolling in Border Regions.............................................................................................. 87

Border Transportation Operations.................................................................................. 88

Traffic Management ....................................................................................................... 88

Enforcement ................................................................................................................... 89

Traveler Information ...................................................................................................... 89

Archived Data Management........................................................................................... 89

CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................ 91

Scan Conclusions................................................................................................................... 91

Border Operations .......................................................................................................... 91

Tolling at Land Border Crossings .................................................................................. 91

Traffic Management and Traveler Information.............................................................. 91

Archived Data Management........................................................................................... 92

Emerging Technologies.................................................................................................. 92

Conclusions from Workshops................................................................................................ 92

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 95

APPENDIX A: FIRST BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP............................................... A-1

List of Participants of the First Border-Wide ITS Workshop.............................................. A-1

Agenda of the First Border-Wide ITS Workshop................................................................ A-2

APPENDIX B: SECOND BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP .......................................... B-1

List of Participants of the Second Border-Wide ITS Workshop ......................................... B-1

Agenda of the Second Border-Wide ITS Workshop ........................................................... B-2
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Final Report iv July 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)

Page

List of Tables

Table 1. SENTRI border crossings. ............................................................................................. 13

Table 2. General characteristics of U.S.-Mexico border crossings.............................................. 19

Table 3. Top 10 busiest border crossings on the U.S.-Canada border......................................... 22

Table 4. Toll agencies with active toll roads in Texas (excluding border crossings).................. 23

Table 5. Method of toll collection at U.S.-Mexico tolled border crossings................................. 26

Table 6. Method of toll collection at U.S.-Canada tolled border crossings................................. 28

Table 7. Direction of tolling at U.S.-Canada border crossings.................................................... 29

Table 8. Candidate ITS standards for the Border Wait-Time Project on the U.S.-Canada 

border. .......................................................................................................................... 36

Table 9. Land POE technologies and their use in traffic screening and border crossing 

programs....................................................................................................................... 39

Table 10. Method of communication and use of ITS to inform motorists for planned 

special events. .............................................................................................................. 41

Table 11. Roles and responsibilities of various local, State, and Federal agencies for realtime incident management. .......................................................................................... 43

Table 12. Method of communication and use of ITS to inform motorists for incident 

management. ................................................................................................................ 44

Table 13. Use of ITS by border agencies for disaster preparedness, response, and 

recovery........................................................................................................................ 47

Table 14. List of technology implementations to measure volume, wait times, and 

crossing times at various border crossings................................................................... 50

Table 15. Basic operations theory of various vehicle detection technologies. ............................ 51

Table 16. Strengths and weaknesses of commercially available vehicle detection 

technologies.................................................................................................................. 52

Table 17. Traffic output data (typical), communications bandwidth, and cost of 

commercially available vehicle detectors. ................................................................... 54

Table 18. Annualized per-lane sensor cost comparison to instrument a six-lane freeway 

sensor station................................................................................................................ 55

Table 19. Existing and planned deployment of traffic management centers in cities 

around various border crossings. ................................................................................. 57

Table 20. Existing and future interface between agencies in the U.S. and Mexico in the 

ITS architecture for individual regions. ....................................................................... 59

Table 21. Deployment of VMSs by agencies for the purpose of relaying information 

about border crossings.................................................................................................. 62

Table 22. Use of social networking sites, e-mail, and mobile devices by agencies to relay 

border crossing and wait times..................................................................................... 64

Table 23. Use of social networking site Twitter by agencies to relay border crossing and 

wait times. .................................................................................................................... 64

Table 24. Use of Web sites by agencies to relay traffic conditions around border 

crossings....................................................................................................................... 66
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Final Report v July 2012

Table 25. Use of social networking sites, email, and mobile devices by agencies to relay 

traffic conditions around border crossings................................................................... 67

Table 26. Use of archived border-crossing data by agencies....................................................... 71

Table 27. Type and scope of commercial vehicle border-crossing-related data available 

from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. .............................................................. 73

Table 28. Type and scope of passenger vehicle border-crossing-related data available 

from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. .............................................................. 73

Table 29. Type and scope of transit and pedestrian border-crossing-related data available 

from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. .............................................................. 74

Table 30. Type and scope of border-crossing-related data currently archived............................ 76

List of Figures

Figure 1. Flowchart describing overall framework for conducting the border-wide 

assessment...................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 2. Flowchart depicting the commercial vehicle border-crossing process from 

Mexico to the United States. .......................................................................................... 8

Figure 3. Photograph showing overhead antenna used in the SENTRI program (4). ................. 12

Figure 4. Photograph showing RFID card reader used in the SENTRI program (4)................... 12

Figure 5. Diagram describing Mexican toll road concessionaires, operators, integrators 

and customer service centers........................................................................................ 27

Figure 6. Photograph depicting technologies implemented at the CBP compound in the 

Bridge of the Americas. ............................................................................................... 40

Figure 7. Flowchart describing proposed ITS operations at the Tijuana border region. ............. 58

Figure 8. Screen Snapshots of the San Diego-area 5-1-1 system. ............................................... 67

Figure 9. Screen snapshots of the planned nationwide 5-1-1 traveler information system 

in Mexico. .................................................................................................................... 68

Figure 10. Diagram depicting the proposed centralized repository of archived bordercrossing data................................................................................................................. 70
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AASHTO American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials

ACE Automated Cargo Environment

ACE/ITDS Automated Commercial Environment/International Trade Data System

ACM Automatic Coin Machine

ADOT Arizona Department of Transportation

ADOT/MVD Arizona Department of Transportation – Motor Vehicle Division

AET All-Electronic Tolling

ALPR Automatic License Plate Recognition

ASTM American Society of Testing and Materials

ATA American Trucking Associations

ATI Alliance for Toll Interoperability

ATIS Advanced Traveler Information Systems

AVC Automatic Vehicle Classification

AVI Automatic Vehicle Identification

BANOBRAS Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos

Battelle (Company)

BCC Border Crossing Card

BCIS Border Crossing Information System

BCMoT British Columbia Ministry of Transportation

BOTA Bridge of the Americas

BSIF Border Safety Inspection Facility

BTS Bureau of Transportation Statistics

BWT Border Wait Time

Caltrans California Department of Transportation

CAPUFE Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos

CBP Customs and Border Protection

CBSA Canada Border Services Agency

CCRMA Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority

CCSP Certified Cargo Screening Program

CCTV Closed Circuit Television

CHP California Highway Patrol

ConOps Concept of Operations

CSC Customer Service Center

C-TIP Cross-Town Improvement Program

C-TPAT Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism

CTRMA Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority
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CVII Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure Integration

CVISN Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks

DCL Dedicated Commuter Lane

Delcan (Company)

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DMA Dynamic Mobility Applications 

DMV Department of Motor Vehicles

DPS Department of Public Safety

DSRC Dedicated Short-Range Communications

EBTC Eastern Border Transportation Coalition

EETS European Electronic Toll Service

e-Manifest Electronic Manifest

EMC Emergency Management Center

EMS Emergency Medical Services

EOC Emergency Operations Center

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

EPIC Expedited Processing at International Crossings

EPS Electronic Payment Services

EPSNIS Electronic Payment Services National Interoperability Specification

e-Screening Electronic Screening

ETC Electronic Toll Collection

EU European Union

FARAC Fideicomiso de Apoyo al Rescate de Autopistas Concesionadas

FAST Free and Secure Trade

FBCTRA Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority

FCC Federal Communications Commission

FDA Food and Drug Administration

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FHWA Federal Highway Administration

FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

GIS Geographic Information System

GPS Global Positioning System

GSA General Services Administration

GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

GUTSA Gutsa Construcciones, S.A. de C.V.

HAR Highway Advisory Radio

HAZMAT Hazardous Materials

HCTRA Harris County Toll Road Authority
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HGV Heavy Goods Vehicle

HID Hughes Identification Devices Global Inc. 

HOT High Occupancy Toll

HOV High Occupancy Vehicle

IAVE Identificación Automatica Vehicular

IBC e-Screening International Border Crossing Electronic Screening

IBI IBI Group (Company)

IBIS Interagency Border Inspection System

IBWC International Boundary and Water Commission

ICA Ingenieros Civiles Asociados

IMIP Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación

IMTC International Mobility and Trade Corridor

INDABIN Instituto de Administración y Avalúos de Bienes Nacionales

INNP Interoperability Network Pilot Program

INTEGRA Integra Corporation of Mexico

Intermec (Company)

ISM Industrial, Scientific, and Medical

ISO International Organization for Standardization

IAG E-ZPass Interagency Group

ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers

ITS Intelligent Transportation System

IVAG Imperial Valley Association of Governments

Kapsch (Company)

LPI License Plate Interoperability

MAC Media Access Control

MAGs Installed Digital Magnetometers

MARHNOS Marhnos Engineering and Construction (Company)

MARK IV (Company)

MCES Motor Carrier Efficiency Study

MDOT Michigan Department of Transportation

MDT Montana Department of Transportation

MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization

MTO Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

MTQ Ministère des Transports du Quebec

NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement

NB Northbound

NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association

NFBC Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
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NITTEC Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition

NMBA New Mexico Border Authority

NMDOT New Mexico Department of Transportation

NTCIP National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol

NTMI New Technology Management, Inc. (Company)

NTTA North Texas Tollway Authority

NYDOT New York State Department of Transportation

NYSTA New York State Thruway Authority

OBE On-Board Equipment

OBU On-Board Unit

OCACSA Operación y Conservación de Autopistas Concesionadas

OCR Optical Character Recognition

OME Otay Mesa East

Omniair (Consortium)

ORT Open Road Tolling

OVC Overview Camera

PDN-RMIS Paso Del Norte Regional Mobility Information System

PeMS Performance Monitoring System

POE Port of Entry

PSE Planned Special Event

QC Query Central

QNA QinetiQ North America (Company)

QWS Queue Warning System

Raytheon (Company)

REPUVE Registro Público Vehicular

RF Radio Frequency

RFID Radio Frequency Identification

RFP Request for Proposals

RSS Real Simple Syndicate

RTMS Remote Traffic Microwave Sensor

SAAQ Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec

SANDAG San Diego Association of Governments

SB Southbound

SCT Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes

SDMS Short Data Message Set

Sentrillion (Company, formerly New Technology Management, Inc.)

SENTRI Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection

SIMEX SIMEX Integracion de Sistemas, S.A.
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Sirit (Company)

SNS Social Networking Site

SOA Service Oriented Architecture

SOV Single Occupancy Vehicle

SWIM Slow Weigh-in-Motion

TC Transport Canada

TDMA Time Division Multiple Access

Technocom (Company)

Tecsult (Company)

TGT Turnpike Global Technologies

THALES Thales Group (Company)

TMC Traffic Management Center

TMDD Traffic Management Data Dictionary

TOC Traffic Operation Center

TRMI TRMI Systems Integration (Company)

TSA Transportation Security Administration

TTA Texas Turnpike Authority

TTI Texas Transportation Institute

TxDOT Texas Department of Transportation

U.S. United States

USDOT United States Department of Transportation

V2I Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

V2R Vehicle-to-Roadside

V2V Vehicle-to-Vehicle

VES Violation Enforcement System

VHF Very High Frequency

VIP Video Image Processing

VMS Variable Message Sign

VWI Vehicle Waveform Identification

WCOG Whatcom Council of Governments

WebEOC Web-Based Emergency Operations Center

WED Western Economic Diversification Canada

WHTI Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

WIM Weigh-In-Motion

WSDOT Washington State Department of Transportation

XML Extensible Markup Language
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

Cross-border transportation is an important element of the nation’s transportation system. 

Adding transportation infrastructure at land border crossings is even more challenging than 

building transportation infrastructure elsewhere because of the international dimension and the 

different stakeholders that interact at an international border crossing. The use of Intelligent 

Transportation Systems (ITS) and other technologies is one way in which capacity at ports of 

entry (POEs) can be increased and enhance and improve the coordination between stakeholders 

on both sides of the border. 

The purpose of this effort was to conduct a border-wide assessment of the use of intelligent 

transportation systems (ITS) technologies and operational concepts at and near land border 

crossings between the U.S. and Mexico. The work focused on tolling, traffic management and 

operations, and safety. 

APPROACH

In order to reach the objective, the initial task was to conduct a scanning assessment of ITS 

technologies with a primary focus on the U.S.-Mexico border, substituting ITS experience on the 

U.S.-Canada border when experience with equivalent technology on the U.S.-Mexico border 

does not yet exist. 

Two workshops were organized during the project. The objective of the workshops was to 

further document the state-of-the-practice, stakeholders’ short- and long-term needs, and present 

and future technology solutions. In the initial workshop, the research team presented a summary 

and facilitated discussion of the ITS technologies that are being implemented at border regions. 

During the second workshop, participants identified policy, legal, and institutional barriers to 

implementing ITS technologies along the United States’ northern and southern borders. ITS 

solution providers and technology vendors presented their experiences in the implementation of 

innovative ITS projects at the borders. 

SCAN ASSESSMENT KEY FINDINGS

The scan assessment was divided into several topics, and the key findings of each topic follow.

Border Operations

The border-crossing process for passenger and commercial vehicles at the U.S. northern and 

southern borders is complicated due to the number of stakeholders that participate in the process, 

involving two countries, private and public sectors, and all levels of government. The 

commercial vehicle crossing requires additional cargo inspection for trucks crossing into the 

United States, which adds a level of complexity. 

There is a whole range of activities that take place at land border crossing, such as electronic 

filing of import and export declarations, agricultural inspections, drug interdiction, immigration 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report xiv July 2012

check on the driver and passengers, vehicle safety checks, etc. All of these activities involve a 

certain level of technology and data systems; however, this study focuses only on the use of 

technology for traffic management.

The assessment shows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the main stakeholder,

at land border crossings, as it is required to perform security inspections on passenger and 

commercial vehicles. CBP has implemented several programs that use technology to aid in its 

mission. The trusted-traveler programs such as Free and Secure Trade (FAST) and Secure 

Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) use RFID devices. FAST offers 

expedited clearance to carriers that have demonstrated supply chain security and that are enrolled 

in the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT). SENTRI provides expedited 

CBP processing for pre-approved, low-risk travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border (the U.S.-Canada 

version of SENTRI is called NEXUS).

The use of technology to improve international land border-crossing operations has increased in 

recent years. CBP and other federal and state agencies in the United States, Mexico and Canada 

as well as the private sector are implementing technologies to improve border-crossing 

operations. Coordination among these stakeholders is an important element in which ITS could 

play an important role. 

Tolling at Land Border Crossings

Most of the tolls at the U.S. international ports of entry are collected at those crossings that have 

a bridge structure. At the U.S. southern border, 21 of the 46 border crossings collect tolls and are 

mostly located in the State of Texas. New crossings are being planned in all the border states, 

and due to funding restrictions, most likely these new facilities will be tolled. The majority of 

toll operations at land border crossings are using Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) 

technology such as radio frequency identification (RFID), proximity cards, and bar code 

technology. These systems are well established, reliable, and enforceable.

At existing international tolled crossings, the research did not find interoperability or 

enforcement agreements between U.S. and Mexican tolling agencies. These agreements are 

being discussed for planned land ports of entry to increase operational efficiency. 

Toll rates at the U.S.-Canada crossing are coordinated bi-nationally; however, the scan indicated 

that there is no coordination of toll rates between U.S. and Mexican international bridge 

operators. Pricing schemes were not found along the U.S. northern and southern borders. The 

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducted a study in 2007 about congestion pricing at 

international border crossings in El Paso and concluded that given the resource constraints of the 

agencies involved in managing the area’s border crossings, it is likely that the most feasible 

option will be the implementation of a variable pricing regime.

Toll operators at U.S. roadways and the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) 

Connected Vehicle program are exploring the use of the 5.9 GHz spectrum DSRC technology. 

However, the scan indicated that there are no concrete plans in the near future to implement 

5.9 GHz DSRC technology at land ports of entry.
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Final Report xv July 2012

Traffic Management and Traveler Information

The scan revealed that sharing of real-time traffic management data and ITS usage between 

agencies from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border has been limited, compared to U.S.-Canada 

counterparts. No bi-national Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) along the U.S.-Mexico border 

were identified, and communication between agencies is limited to methods such as radio and 

mobile phones. Traffic data-sharing information systems along the U.S.-Mexico border have not 

been developed due to funding constraints on the Mexican side of the border.

Regarding the sharing of ITS solutions, U.S.-Mexico border agencies have deployed those only

to a very limited degree with the specific purpose of incident management around border 

crossings. Special events at and around border crossings (e.g., concerts, cultural and sporting 

events, major holydays) are planned ahead using ad-hoc meetings between bi-national agencies 

of all levels. Each agency lays out its subsequent roles according to its jurisdictions to assist 

traffic management during the event.

CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are currently measuring border crossing 

and wait times at land POEs. This information is shared via the Internet. The FHWA and other 

state agencies are in the process of implementing several ITS technologies to measure border and 

crossing times for commercial vehicles along the U.S. southern border. FHWA will release

several documents that would benefit other agencies to deploy similar systems in the near future. 

As far as passenger vehicle border crossing times, Bluetooth seems to be a viable technology for 

measuring travel times. This technology is being implemented along the U.S.-Canada border 

and has been recently tested at a U.S.-Mexico POE.

The use of technologies such as smart phones, radar traffic sensors, and vehicle waveform 

identification has shown improvements in collection of wait and crossing times.

The scan revealed that television and radio are the most common methods of disseminating 

border-crossing times at land ports of entry. Internet and mobile devices are gaining market 

share in this arena. 

Archived Data Management

A centralized repository of archived data would significantly reduce data redundancy, reduce 

data collection and storage cost, and increase efficiency of data retrieval.

There is a need for highly granular border crossing data by state and local agencies. In addition, 

local agencies need information such as queue lengths, wait times, and crossing times. This 

information is normally obtained during a relatively short period of data collection at the border.

A major problem in data storage management is the reluctance to purge data due to fear of losing 

aggregated data. Maintaining only aggregated data in the core database will undoubtedly result 

in improved performance.
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Final Report xvi July 2012

Emerging Technologies 

The USDOT Connected Vehicle Program has been considered as a key building block for 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) objective of significantly expanding 

the number of inspections that are conducted each year and the base of data on which to make 

performance-based enforcement decisions.

The Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) initiative involves emerging technologies used in the 

United States that have been tested with outstanding results for examining the condition of the 

vehicle and driver by assessing data collected by on-board systems. 

The Connected Vehicle Program and the WRI have the potential to be implemented at 

international border crossings, as all commercial vehicles entering the United States need to be 

inspected, and drivers need to meet U.S. requirements.

Other emerging technologies that have implementation potential at the border crossings in the 

near future come from initiatives such as the Dynamic Mobility Applications (DMA) Program, 

Cross-Town Improvement Project (C-TIP), and the Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure 

Integration (CVII) initiative.

Inventory of ITS Projects on the U.S.-Mexico Border Regions

The scan analyzed several projects along the U.S.-Mexico border and identified the following:

Projects under Construction

• Border crossing and wait time at the Bridge of the Americas, El Paso, Texas

• Border crossing and wait time at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, Pharr, Texas

• Border crossing and wait time at the Camino Colombia and World Trade Bridges, 

Laredo, Texas

• Border Waits Assessment Project at the Mariposa POE in Nogales, Arizona 

• State Route 905/Otay Mesa POE, San Diego, California Region 

• ITS Pre-Deployment Strategy for SR-11 and the Otay Mesa East POE

Projects under Consideration

• San Ysidro POE, San Diego Region 

• State-of-the-Art ITS at Border Crossings in the El Paso Region 

ITS Projects under Development in Mexico

• National Strategic Plan for Planning, Developing, and Implementing ITS in Mexico

• Development Plan for Updating Processes, Standards, and ITS Protocols

• Development of the Traveler Information System (INFOVIAJE) 

• Strategic Plan for the Modernization and Improvement of the Electronic Toll Collection 

(ETC) System
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WORKSHOP 1 FINDINGS

One of the findings from the first workshop was that a key element for the successful 

implementation of ITS technologies is to identify policy, legal, and institutional barriers to 

implementation. Given that Federal, State, and local agencies from two countries as well as 

private-sector stakeholders operate at the border, it is difficult and time-consuming to overcome 

these non-technical barriers. 

Another key finding from the workshop was the realization that it is crucial to understand 

stakeholder needs prior to the implementation of any technology.

WORKSHOP 2 FINDINGS

The second workshop included participants from the public and private sectors. On the public 

sector side, state and local officials presented their implementation experiences. Private sector 

stakeholders presented their experiences with technology implementation that facilitate 

transportation across borders. 

CONCLUSIONS

Various stakeholders that operate at the land border-crossing environment are implementing ITS 

technologies. However, every stakeholder is trying to tackle its own needs, and there is little if

any coordination among stakeholders to develop standards that could lead to an integrated, 

interoperable system capable of sharing resources and perhaps information. One example of this 

is the use of RFID transponders (i.e., “tags”). Currently CBP is utilizing tags on commercial 

vehicles that are separate from FAST tags, to manage user fees. The same type of tags is being 

used for tolling purposes at some commercial crossings on both sides of the border. Various 

states are using the same technology to expedite vehicle inspection at the border. However, lack 

of coordination leads to having vehicles with multiple RFID tags that are similar or identical. 

There are examples of a coordinated bi-national effort like the project currently underway at the 

proposed Otay Mesa East crossing in California. The San Diego Association of Governments

(SANDAG) is developing a bi-national ITS pre-deployment plan that will incorporate the use of 

ITS technologies in the San Diego/Tijuana region.

With regard to future technologies, the information gathered during this research leads to the 

conclusion that the implementations of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies that have bidirectional communication capability between the vehicles and the border-crossing systems have 

potential to improve border operations in the future. Most likely, in the next 10-15 years tolling 

systems will be “tag-free” leaning heavily on 5.8 GHZ DSRC. This will depend on the level of 

adoption by toll operators and vehicle manufacturers as the connected vehicle program evolves.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

Cross-border transportation is an important element of the nation’s transportation system. In 

2010, more than 90 million personal vehicles entered the United States – 28.8 million from 

Canada and 64 million from Mexico. Canada and Mexico are the first and third largest U.S. 

trading partners, respectively. In 2010, more than 10.2 million commercial vehicles crossed into 

the United States at both the northern and southern borders, handling trade valued at more than 

556 billion dollars. U.S. merchandise trade with Canada and Mexico by all land modes rose by 

37.4 percent in the 10 years between 2000 and 2010 (1), and it is expected that the growth rate 

will increase once the North American economies recover.

Increasing trends in cross-border traffic present challenges in infrastructure improvements at 

land ports of entry (POEs). Adding transportation infrastructure at land border crossings is even 

more challenging than building transportation infrastructure elsewhere because of the 

international dimension and the different stakeholders that interact at an international border

crossing. Federal, State, and local agencies as well as private-sector stakeholders intervene in 

the process on both sides of the border. Dissimilar funding cycles, environmental regulations, 

and other rules in each country make the process of building additional capacity at international 

crossings lengthy and difficult. 

Each international crossing is different in terms of traffic patterns, geography, configuration, and 

physical characteristics. This makes the planning process even more difficult as it requires 

accommodating stakeholders’ needs and objectives at each POE.

There is a whole range of activities that take place at land border crossing, such as electronic 

filing of import and export declarations, agricultural inspections, drug interdiction, immigration 

check on the driver and passengers, vehicle safety checks, etc. All of these activities involve a 

certain level of technology and data systems; however, this study focuses only on the use of 

technology for traffic management.

The use of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and other technologies is one way in which 

capacity at POEs could be increased and also enhance and improve the coordination among

stakeholders on both sides of the border. However, one of the lessons learned from the 2001 ITS 

at International Borders study (2) is that “as with many domestic ITS/CVO [commercial vehicle 

operations] initiatives, institutional issues represent the most significant hurdle in deploying and 

using technology as a tool for improving processes at international borders.” 

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this work effort was to conduct a border-wide assessment of the use of current 

and future ITS technologies and operational concepts at and near U.S. land border crossings. 

Researchers focused on tolling, traffic management, and operations and safety. The specific 

objectives of this project were to research, assess, and document how ITS technologies can be 

used in the following areas: 
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• Toll collection and management in border regions and identification of technology used, 

system components, and any special data-sharing arrangements between the two 

countries.

• Transportation operations and traffic management in the U.S.-Mexico border regions.

• Transportation safety policy and operations.

• Traffic management, traffic operation, and traffic enforcement on tolled roads and tolled 

border-crossing roads.

• Toll and traffic management data archival.

Other objectives included:

• Identifying the usage of ITS and other technologies by Federal, State, and local 

governments and other entities in border regions, as well as any coordination between 

agencies and cross-border.

• Documenting how updates to technology or its obsolescence can be handled. 

• Documenting how appropriate agencies/entities operate and maintain operations on both 

sides of the border, and identifying potential funding sources and models.

• Researching, assessing, and documenting barriers to technology adoption in border 

regions.

ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

The initial task was to conduct a scanning assessment of ITS technologies with a primary focus 

on the U.S.-Mexico border, substituting ITS experience on the U.S.-Canada border when 

experience with equivalent technology on the U.S.-Mexico border does not yet exist. 

Figure 1 illustrates the overall framework for conducting the border-wide assessment of 

technologies used. The approach to document the state-of-the-practice and future developments 

and concepts of ITSs at the border included two main components: a thorough literature review 

of documentation from the United States as well as other countries, and communication with key 

stakeholders that participate in the border-crossing process. Researchers analyzed findings from 

these two sources to prepare this document, which reports the state-of-the-practice and future 

ITS concepts that have potential to be implemented at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Two workshops were organized during the project. The objective of the workshops was to 

further document the state-of-the-practice, stakeholders’ short- and long-term needs, and present 

and future technology solutions. In the initial workshop, the research team presented a summary 

and facilitated discussion of the ITS technologies that are being implemented at border regions. 

During the second workshop, participants identified policy, legal, and institutional barriers to 

implementing ITS technologies along the United States’ northern and southern borders. ITS 

solution providers and technology vendors presented their experiences in the implementation of 

innovative ITS projects at the borders.
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Figure 1. Flowchart describing overall framework for

conducting the border-wide assessment.

Perform a comprehensive 

literature review.

Obtain stakeholder input.

Verify information obtained from 

the literature review.

Obtain additional information 

using survey questionnaires, 

telephone interviews, and faceto-face meetings.

Develop current state of 

the practice.

Develop and document 

future concepts.

Interview industry experts 

including technology providers

and vendors.

Develop workshop agendas.

Workshop I: ITS and Cross-Border 

Operation

Workshop II: Private Sector ITS 

Providers

Conduct workshops.

Allow for FHWA and stakeholder 

review of the workshop agendas.

Prepare final report.

Fine-tune current state of the 

practice, current and future needs, 

and application of current and 

future technology. 
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The scan included the following topics pertaining to deployment of ITSs at border crossings on

the U.S.-Mexico border:

• Planning and cross-border coordination.

• Tolling in border regions.

o Transaction processing (e.g., interoperability, charging, collections).

o Electronic tolling operations (e.g., account management, customer service).

o Technology.

• Border transportation operations and traffic management and enforcement. 

o Operations.

o Traffic management.

o Commercial vehicle safety.

o Enforcement.

• Traveler information.

• Archived data management.

The study identified and prepared case examples of ITS pre-deployment strategies and/or 

concepts of operations at border regions, identifying the geographic coverage as well as the 

operational scope that was covered in that particular example.

The study also assessed whether existing and planned systems were based on any existing ITS 

architecture and identified whether ITS deployments influenced one or more subsystems in the 

architecture. Any aspects of a regional ITS architecture need to be considered in project 

implementation and updated as user needs and services change. Understanding that the 

application of ITS architecture and standards is important to maximizing the benefits of ITS 

projects, the study also assessed the effect of the technology implementation on ITS 

architectures.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT

Chapter 1 (this chapter) is the introduction. Chapters 2 through 6 present a discussion of the 

state-of-the-practice and future plans for each chapter’s topic area. 

Chapter 2 presents a brief description of the border-crossing process. The objective is to inform 

the reader of the various processes that take place at the border for private and commercial 

vehicles and introduce general concepts of ITS and other technologies being used. 

Chapter 3 describes tolling and includes ITS transaction processing (e.g., interoperability, 

charging, and collections) and electronic tolling operations (e.g., account management and 

customer service). The final topic under tolling is ITS technologies being used and planned.

Chapter 4 describes transportation operations, traffic management and enforcement, operations, 

and traveler information at and around border crossings. These are divided into traffic 

management, commercial vehicle safety, and enforcement.
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Chapter 5 includes a description of the state-of-the-practice of managing archived border

crossing-related data. 

Chapter 6 includes an inventory of ITS projects that are under either construction, procurement,

or consideration in U.S.-Mexico border regions. 

Chapter 7 includes key findings from the two workshops that were organized as part of the 

project. 

Chapter 8 presents a series of conclusions for the overall project.
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CHAPTER 2. CROSS-BORDER COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE 

VEHICLE PROCESSES

The objective of this chapter is to describe the overall commercial and private vehicle bordercrossing process and the stakeholders that participate in the process. This description helps

identify the use of ITS and other technologies by the various stakeholders; these technologies are 

described in the following chapters of the report.

BORDER-CROSSING PROCESS AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

The border-crossing process for passenger and commercial vehicles at the U.S.-Mexico border is 

complicated due to the number of stakeholders that participate in the process. The commercial 

vehicle crossing requires additional cargo inspection for trucks crossing from Mexico into the 

United States.

Northbound Commercial Vehicle Crossing Process

The original trucking provisions under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

regarding opening the U.S. border to Mexican trucks were designed to improve transportation 

efficiency by enabling more seamless cross-border trucking operations. Currently, Mexican 

tractors are restricted to circulation in a narrow commercial zone extending out to 25 miles from

the border (or up to 75 miles in Arizona). Therefore, Mexican truck shipments into the United 

States are required to use a drayage or transfer tractor that picks up a trailer on the Mexican side 

of the border and then hauls it into the United States, where it is dropped off so a U.S. long-haul 

tractor can carry the trailer further into U.S. territory.

The typical northbound border-crossing process requires a shipper in Mexico to file shipment 

data with both Mexican and U.S. Federal agencies, prepare both paper and electronic forms, and 

use a drayage or transfer tractor to move the goods from Mexico to the United States. Once the 

shipment is at the border with the drayage or transfer tractor and an authorized driver, the 

process flows through three main potential physical inspection areas:

• Mexican export lot,

• U.S. Federal compound and

• U.S. State safety inspection facility.

A description of the main activities that take place in the northbound border-crossing process is 

illustrated in Figure 2 and presented in the following sections.
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Source: (3)

Figure 2. Flowchart depicting the commercial vehicle border-crossing process from

Mexico to the United States.

The Mexican Export Lot

A drayage driver with the required documentation proceeds into the Mexican Customs

(Aduanas) compound. For audit and interdiction purposes, Mexican Customs conducts 

inspections consisting of a physical review of the cargo of randomly selected outbound freight 

prior to its export. Shipments that are not selected proceed to the exit gate cross the border and 

continue on to the U.S. POE.

There are several international crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border that are tolled. Tolls are 

collected in Mexico for northbound traffic and in the United States for southbound traffic. Toll 

collection is manual (cash) and electronic. All of the crossings along the Texas-Mexico border 

are bridges that cross the Rio Grande River, and most of them are tolled. Before crossing into 

the United States, commercial vehicles pay tolls and proceed to the U.S. Federal Compound.

The U.S. Federal Compound

At the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) primary inspection booth, the driver of the 

truck presents identification and shipment documentation to the processing agent. The CBP 

inspector at the primary inspection booth uses a computer terminal to crosscheck the basic 

information about the driver, vehicle, and cargo with information sent previously by the carrier 

via the CBP’s Automated Cargo Environment (ACE) electronic manifest (e-Manifest). The CBP 

inspector then makes a decision to refer the truck, driver, or cargo for a more detailed secondary

inspection of any or all of these elements, or—alternatively—releases the truck to the exit gate.
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Motor carriers or other eligible parties are currently required to file an electronic manifest (eManifest) with CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system for most international 

truck shipments prior to a truck entering the United States through a land port. E-Manifests are 

filed at least 30 minutes prior to arrival of Free and Secure Trade (FAST)-enrolled trucks and 60 

minutes prior to the arrival of non-FAST trucks. Among other information, the e-Manifest data 

identifies the port where the truck intends to cross. The e-Manifest enables CBP to prescreen the 

operator, conveyance, equipment, and shipment information before the truck arrives at the 

border. This allows CBP to focus its efforts and inspections on high-risk commerce and 

minimize unnecessary delays for low-risk commerce. 

A secondary inspection includes any inspection that the driver, cargo, or conveyance undergoes 

between the primary inspection and the exit gate of the U.S. Federal Compound. Personnel from 

CBP usually conduct these inspections, which can be done by physically inspecting the 

conveyance and the cargo or by using non-intrusive inspection equipment (such as x-rays). 

Within the compound, other Federal agencies such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have personnel and 

facilities to perform other inspections when required. A vehicle safety inspection could be 

conducted either at the Federal Compound (by FMCSA) or at the State Safety Inspection Facility 

depending on practice.

The State Vehicle Safety Inspection Facility

For the majority of POEs on the southern border, the State Safety Inspection Facility is located 

adjacent to the Federal Compound. State police inspect conveyances to determine whether they 

are in compliance with U.S. safety standards and regulations. If their initial visual inspection 

finds any violation, they direct the truck to proceed to a more detailed inspection at a special 

facility.

After leaving the State Safety Inspection Facility, the driver typically drives to the freight 

forwarder or customs broker yard to drop off the trailer for later pickup by a long-haul tractor 

bound for the final destination.

Commercial Border-Crossing Security Programs

CBP’s FAST program is in operation at most of the major U.S. international land border 

crossings. Its objective is to offer expedited clearance to carriers that have demonstrated supply 

chain security and are enrolled in the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT). 

The FAST program allows U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico partnering importers expedited release 

for qualifying commercial shipments.

1

For a shipment to be considered a FAST shipment, it needs to comply with very specific 

regulations. The shipper in Mexico, the carrier that is transporting the cargo across the border

and the driver all have to be C-TPAT certified.

 1 See U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FAST: Free and Secure Trade Program, at 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/fast/.
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The time required for a typical Mexican export shipment to make the trip from the yard, 

distribution center or manufacturing plant in Mexico to the exit of the State Safety Inspection 

Facility for a particular POE depends on the number of secondary inspections required, the 

number of inspection booths in service, the traffic volume at that specific time of day, and for the 

shipment’s eligibility to be expedited via FAST.

Southbound Commercial Vehicle Crossing

The southbound commercial vehicle crossing process has only one Mexican Customs inspection 

station. The process in Mexico is a red light/green light decision in which a loaded commercial 

vehicle is randomly selected for a secondary inspection if it gets a red light. Empty vehicles 

cross with no need to stop at a Mexican Customs’ booth.

Recently, CBP has started to perform random manual inspections on the U.S. side of the border 

for commercial vehicles crossing into Mexico, aiming to identify illegal shipments of money and 

weapons. The U.S. POEs were not designed for southbound commercial vehicle inspection, and 

consequently this has created congestion.

Passenger Vehicle Crossing Process

On the Mexican side of the border, passenger vehicles are required to pay tolls at those crossings 

that have that requirement, usually POEs at international bridges. Drivers pay tolls either

manually (i.e., in cash) or via Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems. Once passenger 

vehicles pay the toll, if one is required, they proceed to the U.S. Federal Compound.

At the U.S. Federal Compound, passenger vehicles have to go through primary and sometimes 

secondary inspections. At the primary inspection booths, CBP officers ask the individuals who 

want to enter the country to show proper documentation (i.e., proof of citizenship) and state the 

purpose of their visit to the United States. Additionally, during this stage of the process, a query 

on the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS) is executed to review the past records of 

violations that the traveler may have. If necessary, CBP officers direct the vehicle to secondary 

inspection.

At the primary inspection booth, Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) scanners 

identify, and computers perform queries of, the vehicles against law enforcement databases that 

are continuously updated. A combination of electric gates, tire shredders, traffic control lights, 

fixed iron bollards, and pop-up pneumatic bollards ensure physical control of vehicles intending 

to cross.

At the secondary inspection station, a much more thorough investigation of the identity of those 

wanting to enter the United States as well as the purpose of their visit is performed. During this 

step, individuals may also have to pay duties upon their declared items. Upon completion, 

access to the United States is either granted or denied. 

Passenger Vehicle Border-Crossing Security Programs

Similar to the FAST program for commercial vehicles, the Secure Electronic Network for 

Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) provides expedited CBP processing for pre-approved, 
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Final Report 11 July 2012

low-risk travelers entering the United States at southern border POEs. Applicants must 

voluntarily undergo a thorough biographical background check against criminal, law 

enforcement, customs, immigration, and terrorist indices; a 10-fingerprint law enforcement 

check; and a personal interview with a CBP officer. 

Once an applicant is approved for crossing the border under SENTRI, he or she is issued a 

document with radio frequency identification (RFID) that will identify his or her record and 

status in the CBP database upon arrival at the U.S. POE. A sticker decal is also issued to be 

affixed to the applicant’s car, personal truck, or motorcycle. SENTRI users have access to 

specific, dedicated primary lanes into the United States. SENTRI dedicated commuter lanes 

exist at the Otay Mesa, El Paso, San Ysidro, Calexico, Nogales, Hidalgo, Brownsville, 

Anzalduas, Laredo, and San Luis POEs on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

When an approved international traveler approaches the border in the SENTRI lane, the system 

automatically identifies the vehicle and the identity of its occupant(s) by reading the file number 

on the RFID card. The file number triggers the participant’s data to be brought up on the CBP 

officer’s screen. The data are verified by the CBP officer, and the traveler is released or referred 

for additional inspection.

Participants in the program wait for much shorter times than those in regular lanes waiting to 

enter the United States. Critical information required in the inspection process is provided to the 

CBP officer in advance of the passenger’s arrival, therefore reducing the inspection time (4). 

TECHNOLOGY AT LAND PORTS OF ENTRY

The use of technology to improve international land border-crossing operations has increased in 

recent years. As mentioned in this section, CBP is using technology to implement trustedtraveler programs such as FAST and SENTRI. FMCSA is currently identifying technologies to 

deploy a wireless roadside inspection program. State safety agencies are also implementing 

RFID-based technologies to streamline the inspection processes. 

Coordination among stakeholders is an important element in which ITS could play an important 

role. The next sections of the report present a detailed assessment of current ITS applications at 

the border.

Technology for the SENTRI and NEXUS Programs

CBP’s trusted-traveler programs provide expedited travel for pre-approved, low-risk travelers 

through dedicated lanes and kiosks. The NEXUS program is used at the U.S.-Canada border, 

and the SENTRI program is operational at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

SENTRI

The SENTRI program is a U.S. initiative that allows for faster border-crossing times from 

Mexico to the U.S. A description of how this program operates from the user’s standpoint is 

included in Chapter 2. 

The cost for enrolling in the program is currently $122.25 and gives the member a 5-year 

membership to the SENTRI program (29). Tolls are paid separately. Not all SENTRI lanes are 
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Final Report 12 July 2012

tolled and for those that are, tolls are paid by various forms as explained below. The technology 

used in the SENTRI program is very similar to the one used for tolling. It is based on a sticker 

transponder mounted on the left side of the windshield and read by an overhead antenna (Figure 

3) and an RFID card that the driver waves in front of an antenna mounted on the side of the road

(Figure 4. Each person in the vehicle needs to have a valid SENTRI RFID card. Transcore is 

the equipment manufacturer and system integrator for the SENTRI system.

Figure 3. Photograph showing overhead antenna used in the SENTRI program (4).

Figure 4. Photograph showing RFID card reader used in the SENTRI program (4).

Table 1 lists the border crossings with SENTRI systems. The table is divided into two groups: 

tolled and non-tolled border crossings. It is important to make a distinction because the nontolled border crossings are relatively simple on the Mexican side, while the tolled border 

crossings require special handling by the Mexican operators and users. 

When crossing from Mexico into the United States using tolled SENTRI lanes, users need to 

enroll in the Linea Express program. The Linea Express program was created to allow SENTRI 
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Final Report 13 July 2012

users to use dedicated lanes as they enter the border crossing from the Mexican side and for toll 

payment. Enrollment in the Linea Express program can only be obtained after the user has been 

granted SENTRI status. In addition, at CAPUFE-operated bridges users have to pay an annual 

toll fee that allows them unlimited crossing privileges in the northbound direction. The annual 

fee varies by bridge crossing, but it is currently approximately USD$320 (30). Bridge crossings 

operated by others offer other forms of toll payments, such as tickets. Users still need to pay the 

regular toll to the U.S. bridge operator each time they cross in the southbound direction.

Table 1. SENTRI border crossings.

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. State Tolled

Veterans International Bridge Brownsville TX Yes

McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge Hidalgo TX Yes

Anzalduas International Bridge Mission TX Yes

Juarez-Lincoln Bridge Laredo TX Yes

Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge El Paso TX Yes

Good Neighbor Bridge (SB only, NB DCL)

Stanton ELP TX Yes

Paso del Norte Bridge (Pedestrian only) ELP TX Yes

Nogales DeConcini Nogales AZ No

San Luis San Luis AZ No

Calexico East Calexico CA No

Calexico West Calexico CA No

Otay Mesa (Passenger) Otay Mesa CA No

San Ysidro San Diego CA No

In terms of technology, the Linea Express program’s technology is very similar to the technology 

used for tolling. CAPUFE issues a transponder valid only on the border crossings that it operates 

to grant access to the dedicated Linea Express lanes. CAPUFE operates most of the border 

crossings with Linea Express lanes. Promofront, which is the concessionaire on the YsletaZaragoza Bridge, has two payment options: prepaid tickets that allows users to pay the toll per 

use, and annual membership that provides unlimited border crossings for 1 year and includes a 

transponder (31). Neither of these transponders is compatible with the SENTRI-provided 

transponder. Unlike the SENTRI membership that can be used in any border crossing along the 

U.S.-Mexico border, the Linea Express program rules, membership, and fees vary by 

bridge/crossing operator. In some cases, the user needs to obtain separate memberships if he or 

she wishes to use the Linea Express; this is true in El Paso at the Good Neighbor Stanton Bridge 

and the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge, although these border crossings are only 13 miles apart. In this 

case, the user, assuming he or she selects the annual membership with transponder at the YsletaZaragoza Bridge, may end up having three different transponders (32).

NEXUS

For the U.S.-Canada border, a similar trusted-traveler program was established in 2002 as part of 

the Shared Border Accord. NEXUS is a joint program with the Canada Border Services Agency
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Final Report 14 July 2012

(CBSA) that allows prescreened, approved travelers to get faster processing. Users enrolling in 

this program receive a NEXUS card. NEXUS cards are Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-

(WHTI-) compliant documents for land and sea travel, as well as air travel when traveling to and 

from airports using the NEXUS program, and provide expedited travel via land, air, or sea to 

approved members between the U.S.-Canada border. A NEXUS card also fulfills the travel 

document requirements of the WHTI that require a passport or other secure travel documents by 

all U.S. and Canadian citizens (33) (34). 

Sixteen U.S.-Canada border crossings currently offer dedicated passenger vehicle lanes for 

NEXUS members (35). The application processing fee for NEXUS membership is currently 

$50 per applicant. The membership is valid for 5 years.

The two main differences between the NEXUS and SENTRI programs are that (a) in the 

SENTRI program, the vehicle also needs to be enrolled; and (b) the NEXUS card is valid for 

entering Canada and the U.S., while the SENTRI membership provides benefits only when 

traveling from Mexico to the U.S. 

The technology used in the NEXUS program is RFID-based. The NEXUS card is an RFID card 

similar to a credit card in size. Intermec is the equipment provider for the NEXUS program. 

Once in the lane, the user holds the card up to an RFID reader positioned well in front of the 

inspection booth. The reader flashes the participant’s photo and information onto a computer 

screen inside the booth. The inspector verifies that the photo on the screen matches the vehicle 

occupant and, if all checks out, authorizes the car to proceed (36). 

Although the NEXUS card is not generally used for toll payment at the border crossings, at least 

one creative authority has found a way to tie the NEXUS card to its toll collection system. The 

Whirlpool Rapids bridge operated by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (NFBC) offers the 

NEXUS/Toll program that allows NEXUS users to open a prepaid toll account and tie their 

NEXUS card number to it. Then when the user presents his or her NEXUS card to the NEXUS 

reader located in front of the entrance gate at the Whirlpool Bridge, the card is checked for 

security clearance and a toll charge is deducted from the user’s account (37).

Ready Lane

Ready Lane is a dedicated primary vehicle lane for travelers entering the United States at land 

border crossings. Travelers who obtain and travel with a WHTI-compliant, RFID-enabled travel 

document receive the benefits of utilizing a Ready Lane to expedite the inspection process while 

crossing the border. The U.S. passport card, the SENTRI card, the NEXUS card, the FAST card, 

the new enhanced permanent resident “green card,” and the new border-crossing card are all 

RFID-enabled documents. 

RFID technology allows information contained in a wireless “tag” to be read from a distance, 

enabling officers to more quickly, reliably, and accurately process travelers. The driver stops at 

the beginning of the lane and makes sure each passenger has his or her card out. Then when it is 

the driver’s turn, he or she drives slowly through the lane, holds all cards up on the driver’s side 

of the vehicle, and proceeds to stop at the officer’s booth (38) (39).
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Final Report 15 July 2012

Ready Lanes are operational at the following selected POEs on the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-

Mexico borders:

• Blaine, WA—Peace Arch.

• Del Rio, TX.

• Detroit, MI—Ambassador Bridge.

• El Paso, TX—Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge.

• Nogales, AZ—DeConcini Crossing.

• Progresso, TX—Donna-Rio Bravo International Bridge.

• Otay Mesa, CA. 

There are plans to open additional Ready Lanes in the near future.

Commercial Vehicle Inspection Technologies

FMCSA is currently investigating freight electronic screening (e-Screening) via wireless 

inspection that enables more efficient operations at border crossings under the Motor Carrier 

Efficiency Study (MCES) program. The International Border Crossing Electronic Screening 

(IBC e-Screening) System is a planned alert-based system. The IBC e-Screening intends to

expedite the safe and legal flow of freight and passengers across northern and southern U.S. 

borders while targeting unsafe operations. It will accomplish this by wirelessly obtaining 

commercial vehicle information and verifying compliance with relevant requirements during the 

border-crossing process.

The IBC e-Screening concept leverages the FMCSA’s investment in the FMCSA/CBP Query 

Central–Automated Commercial Environment/International Trade Data System (QC–

ACE/ITDS) interface to provide an automated, data-driven approach to selection of vehicles for 

inspection at the northern and southern borders. This approach enables uniform and consistent 

application of policies and procedures related to safety and compliance assurance of cross-border 

commercial traffic. 

The goal of the FMCSA project is to test technologies at selected international land border 

crossings to reduce the potential for large truck crashes by designing the IBC e-Screening system 

such that it will:

• Electronically identify the carrier, truck, trailer, and driver associated with commercial 

truck trips entering the United States at land POEs, using RFID transponders already on 

the vast majority of trucks entering the United States from Mexico and Canada.

• Electronically screen each component of that trip for factors of interest to State and 

FMCSA inspectors, providing for full safety and compliance verification of carriers, 

trucks, trailers, and drivers each time they enter the United States. 

• Display the screening results to State and FMCSA enforcement officers and inspectors to 

assist them in making more informed inspection selection decisions in fixed and mobile 

operations and in mainline and ramp settings, significantly increasing the efficiency and 

effectiveness of their operations. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 16 July 2012

• Enable data monitoring/reporting by States and FMCSA to better position each 

organization to fulfill its mission
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 17 July 2012

CHAPTER 3. TOLLING IN BORDER REGIONS

The use of tolls for roads and bridges is at least 2,700 years old, as tolls had to be paid by 

travelers using the Susa–Babylon highway under the regime of Ashurbanipal, who reigned in the 

seventh century B.C. (5). In the United States, the first toll roads or turnpikes started operation 

in the early 1800s. Toll collection technology has evolved very slowly, and it was not until the 

last two decades that tolling evolved from traditional manual collection to automatic coin 

machines, and later to ETC with the introduction of transponders and video tolling.

On this project, a detailed scan of the current and envisioned tolling technologies, operations, 

and transaction processing at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders was conducted. With a 

1,945-mile-long Mexican border and 3,987-mile-long Canadian border, it is understandable that 

each State, region, or facility has its own rules and systems for collecting, processing, and 

enforcing tolls. Integration was not paramount when these systems were initially deployed years 

or decades ago. The objective of this task was to provide a clear picture of what is being used or 

planned by agencies and facilities along the international borders and what are the benefits, 

challenges, and opportunities related to tolling. This section presents a comprehensive view of 

the current state-of-the-practice for toll collection in the border regions. 

The first step consisted of performing a comprehensive literature review on the U.S.-Mexico and 

U.S.-Canada border crossings. The second step involved developing a questionnaire to fill the 

gaps from the literature review and contacting selected key personnel familiar with border tolling 

issues at select border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Published information related to tolling in border-crossing regions is limited. Part of the reason 

for this is the limited number of crossings that include tolling, the small size of these systems in 

comparison with other inland toll collection systems, and the lack of integration among bordercrossing facilities. In 2009, approximately 105,850,000 passenger and commercial vehicles 

crossed the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders, including tolled and non-tolled border

crossings. In comparison, a single major toll road, the New Jersey Turnpike, had approximately 

634,000,000 toll transactions during the same period; thus, a single toll road had six times as 

many toll transactions as the entire cross-border traffic. This illustrates a major reason why

research studies and reports are mostly focused on toll roads within the United States rather than 

at its borders. 

As part of the literature review and interviews with key personnel, the following information 

related to transaction processing, operations, and tolling technology used or envisioned for 

border crossings was researched, assessed, and documented: 

• Transaction processing (e.g., interoperability, charging, collections);

• Electronic tolling operations (e.g., account management, customer service); and

• Technology.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 18 July 2012

TRANSACTION PROCESSING (INTEROPERABILITY, CHARGING, COLLECTIONS)

As of 2010, a total of 46 border crossings were in operation at the U.S.-Mexico border. Table 2

lists these border crossings grouped by individual states. Currently, none of the land border 

crossings collects tolls; toll collection only occurs at selected bridge crossings over the Rio 

Grande River. (It should be noted that “land” in this narrow sense refers to a crossing without a 

bridge; “land” is used elsewhere in this report to refer more broadly to a port other than a marine 

or airport.) A total of 28 bridge crossings are currently under operation, and all of them are 

located in Texas. The number of bridges continues to grow to handle the cross-border traffic 

growth. In the next several years, at least five new bridges are planned to open at international 

border crossings on the southern border. In the near future, California and Arizona have plans to 

start collecting tolls at selected border crossings. New Mexico’s current state law prohibits 

tolling statewide.
Final Report 19 July 2012

Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology

—

Current and Future Concepts

Table 2. General characteristics of U.S.-Mexico border crossings.

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. 

State

Passenger VehicleCommercial VehiclePedestrian

Type of 

Crossing Mexican City Mexican State

Veterans International Bridge Brownsville TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Matamoros Tamaulipas

Gateway International Bridge Brownsville TX Yes No Yes Bridge Matamoros Tamaulipas

B&M Bridge Brownsville TX Yes No Yes Bridge Matamoros Tamaulipas

Free Trade Bridge Los Indios TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Lucio Blanco Tamaulipas

Progresso International Bridge Progresso TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Nuevo Progresso Tamaulipas

Donna International Bridge Donna TX Yes No Yes Bridge Rio Bravo Tamaulipas

Pharr-Reynosa Intl. Bridge on the Rise Pharr TX Yes Yes NA Bridge Reynosa Tamaulipas

McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge Hidalgo TX Yes No Yes Bridge Reynosa Tamaulipas

Anzalduas International Bridge Mission TX Yes No Yes Bridge Reynosa Tamaulipas

Los Ebanos Ferry Los Ebanos TX Yes No NA Ferry Gustavo Diaz Ordaz Tamaulipas

Rio Grande City-Camargo Bridge Rio Grande TX Yes Yes NA Bridge Ciudad Camargo Tamaulipas

Roma-Ciudad Miguel Aleman Bridge Roma TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Ciudad Miguel 

Aleman Tamaulipas

Lake Falcon Dam Falcon 

Heights TX Yes NA NA Bridge Ciudad Guerrero Tamaulipas

Juarez-Lincoln Bridge Laredo TX Yes No No Bridge Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas

Gateway to the Americas Bridge Laredo TX Yes No Yes Bridge Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas

World Trade Bridge Laredo TX No Yes No Bridge Nuevo Laredo Tamaulipas

Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge Laredo TX Yes Yes No Bridge Columbia Nuevo Leon

Camino Real International Bridge Eagle Pass TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Piedras Negras Coahuila

Eagle Pass Bridge I Eagle Pass TX Yes No Yes Bridge Piedras Negras Coahuila

Del Rio-Ciudad Acuna International Bridge Del Rio TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Ciudad Acuña Coahuila
Table 2. General characteristics of U.S.-Mexico border crossings. (Continued)

Final Report 20 February 29, 2012

Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology

—

Current and Future Concepts

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. 

State

Passenger VehicleCommercial VehiclePedestrian

Type of 

Crossing Mexican City Mexican State

Lake Amistad Dam Del Rio TX Yes No NA Bridge Ciudad Acuña Coahuila

Presidio Bridge Presidio TX Yes Yes NA Bridge Ojinaga Chihuahua

Fort Hancock-El Porvenir Bridge Fort Hancock TX Yes No NA Bridge El Porvenir Chihuahua

Fabens-Caseta Bridge Fabens TX Yes No Yes Bridge Práxedis Guerrero Chihuahua

Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge El Paso TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua

Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) El Paso TX Yes Yes Yes Bridge Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua

Good Neighbor (Stanton) Bridge El Paso TX Yes No Yes Bridge Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua

Paso del Norte Bridge El Paso TX Yes No Yes Bridge Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua

Santa Teresa Santa Teresa NM Yes Yes Yes Land San Jeronimo Chihuahua

Antelope Wells Antelope 

Wells NM Yes No Yes Land El Berrendo Chihuahua

Columbus Columbus NM Yes Yes Yes Land Puerto Palomas Chihuahua

Douglas Douglas AZ Yes Yes Yes Land Agua Prieta Sonora

Naco Naco AZ Yes Yes Yes Land Naco Sonora

Nogales DeConcini Nogales AZ Yes No Yes Land Heroica Nogales Sonora

Nogales Mariposa Nogales AZ Yes Yes Yes Land Heroica Nogales Sonora

Sasabe Sasabe AZ Land Sasabe Sonora

Lukeville Lukeville AZ Yes Yes Yes Land Sonoyta Sonora

San Luis San Luis AZ Yes Yes Yes Land Rio Colorado Sonora

San Luis II San Luis AZ No Yes No Land Rio Colorado Sonora

Andrade Andrade CA Yes Yes Yes Land Los Algodones Baja Calif.

Calexico East Calexico CA Yes Yes Yes Land Mexicali Baja Calif.
Table 2. General characteristics of U.S.-Mexico border crossings. (Continued)

Final Report 21 February 29, 2012

Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology

—

Current and Future Concepts

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. 

State

Passenger VehicleCommercial VehiclePedestrian

Type of 

Crossing Mexican City Mexican State

Calexico West Calexico CA Yes No Yes Land Mexicali Baja Calif.

Tecate Tecate CA Yes Yes Yes Land Tecate Baja Calif.

Otay Mesa (Commercial) Otay Mesa CA No Yes No Land Tijuana Baja Calif.

Otay Mesa (Passenger) Otay Mesa CA Yes No Yes Land Tijuana Baja Calif.

San Ysidro San Diego CA Yes No Yes Land Tijuana Baja Calif.

Sources: (6), (7), (8), (9), (10) and (11).
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 22 July 2012

As part of the literature review, researchers selected the busiest Canadian border crossings to 

assess tolling issues at the U.S.-Canada border. Table 3 shows the 10 busiest border crossings

with Canada. These 10 border crossings represent more than 55 percent of the total traffic 

volume at the northern border (12).

Table 3. Top 10 busiest border crossings on the U.S.-Canada border.

Border 

Crossing U.S. City U.S. State

Passenger 

Vehicle 

Traffic

Comm. 

Vehicle 

Traffic

Pedestrian 

Traffic

Type of 

Crossing

Canadian 

City

Canadian 

Province

Blue Water 

Bridge Port Huron MI Yes Yes NA Bridge Point Edward Ontario

St-Bernardde LaColle Champlain NY Yes Yes NA Land LaColle Quebec

LewistonQueenston Lewiston NY Yes Yes No Bridge Queenston Ontario

Whirlpool 

Rapids

Niagara 

Falls NY Yes No NA Bridge Niagara Falls Ontario

Rainbow 

Bridge

Niagara 

Falls NY Yes No Yes Bridge Niagara 

Falls Ontario

Peace Bridge Buffalo NY Yes Yes Yes Bridge Fort Erie Ontario

Ambassador Detroit MI Yes Yes No Bridge Windsor Ontario

Detroit-Windsor Detroit MI Yes Yes No Tunnel Windsor Ontario

Pacific 

Highway Blaine WA Yes Yes NA Land Surrey BC

Peace Arch 

(Douglas) Blaine WA Yes No NA Land Surrey BC

Sources: (6), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), and (19).

U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada Bi-National Tolling Implementation Approaches

For a new southern border crossing to open there must be a great deal of bi-national cooperation 

between the United States and Mexico. Both countries need to coordinate the complexities that a 

new crossing involves, from a presidential permit (for bridges built after 1972) and Coast Guard 

approval on the U.S. side and approvals from the Mexican state and federal government on the 

Mexican side, to accessibility and traffic and environmental impact studies (11). 

There are various bi-national groups that participate in the definition of new international border 

crossings or expansions to existing crossings. The International Boundary and Water 

Commission (IBWC) meets regularly to define border crossings. 

Tolling at international crossings is agreed to between the two neighboring countries, and tolls 

are collected in the originating country. At the U.S.-Mexico border, Caminos y Puentes 

Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos (CAPUFE) or a State agency, depending on the 

crossing ownership, usually collects tolls in Mexico. For example, the World Trade Bridge in 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 23 July 2012

Laredo is owned by the state of Tamaulipas, and a state agency manages and collects tolls for 

trucks crossing from Mexico into the United States. The Colombia Solidarity Bridge crossing 

has a similar scheme in which the state of Nuevo Leon also operates and collects tolls. For 

southbound traffic, the City of Laredo collects tolls at the World Trade Bridge.

Currently, there is no interoperability between U.S. and Mexican tolling agencies. Even though 

most of the technologies that are currently being used are similar, there are no interoperability or 

enforcement agreements. In the case of El Paso, some preliminary discussions about future 

interoperability between Promofront, the Mexican operator of the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge, and 

the City of El Paso border crossings have taken place. 

In some instances on the U.S. side, when the same agency operates multiple border-crossing 

facilities, these facilities are interoperable at the local level, such as in the Laredo and El Paso 

areas. 

Tolling Overview in Texas beyond the Border

Currently, all tolled border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border are in Texas. This section will 

describe the tolling state-of-the-practice in Texas beyond its border with Mexico and the level of 

interoperability with the tolled border crossings. There are six agencies that operate toll roads in 

Texas, excluding the operators of tolled border crossings. Table 4 lists these agencies and their 

primary transponder programs. The TxTag, TollTag, and EZ TAG programs are interoperable. 

This means that with the exception of the border crossings and the Dallas-Fort Worth and Dallas 

Love Field airports, all tolled ETC facilities within Texas are interoperable.

Table 4. Toll agencies with active toll roads in Texas (excluding border crossings).

Toll Operator or Agency Region Primary Transponder 

Program

Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) Statewide TxTag

North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) Dallas-Fort Worth TollTag

Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA)1 Houston Metro EZ TAG

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Austin TxTag

Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority

(CCRMA)2 Brownsville TxTag

Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority (FBCTRA)1 Houston Suburbs TxTag

1 HCTRA and FBCTRA entered into an agreement giving HCTRA rights to operate and maintain the Fort Bend 

County toll roads (20). 2 Tolling will start in May 2011.

TTA operates the Camino Colombia (SH 255) toll road that begins near the Colombia Solidarity 

International Bridge and stretches 22 miles east to I-35 north of Laredo. This is the closest toll 

road in Texas to a border crossing (21). This road is an all-electronic tolling (AET) facility. The 

primary method of payment is via a transponder. Vehicles without a transponder are videotolled (1-dollar surcharge), and if no payment is received, a violation occurs. Since the toll road 

is so close to the U.S.-Mexico border, a high percentage of its users are from Mexico. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 24 July 2012

CCRMA opened the first phase of the new SH 550 Toll Road to drivers on March 10, 2011. 

SH 550 is an AET facility located east of Brownsville near the U.S.-Mexico border. SH 550 will 

be toll-free for the first 2 months; on May 2011, tolling will start. TTA is providing the toll 

collection system (22).

TTA offers a Day Pass option to prepay tolls. TTA does not currently have an interoperability 

agreement with any tolled border-crossing facilities, other U.S. states, or any Mexican agencies.

On the other hand, there is some level of cooperation with at least one of the largest bordercrossing operators in Laredo. A customer with the Laredo Trade Tag program is allowed to open 

a separate account with the TxTag program and enroll his or her Laredo Trade transponder. The 

user benefits by installing only one transponder instead of two and still being able to use all the 

toll facilities in both programs. TTA is also having preliminary interoperability talks with some 

border-crossing facilities and tolling agencies in Oklahoma and Kansas.

TTA offers the eGo Plus sticker transponders from Transcore based on the American Trucking 

Associations (ATA) protocol. TTA is assessing the use of 5.9 GHz technology but does not 

currently have concrete plans for that frequency.

Most of the toll roads in Texas have fixed tolls. Currently, only Houston has managed lane 

facilities with variable pricing. In the Dallas-Fort Worth region, several new managed lane 

projects with variable pricing are in the pipeline and scheduled to open in the next 3 to 5 years. 

NTTA and CTRMA are members of the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI) group. TTA has 

applied for ATI membership. ATI was formed to promote and implement interstate 

interoperability. In March 2011, the ATI issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an 

Interoperability Network Pilot Program (INPP) in the United States. The INPP consists of the 

development and implementation of a Pilot License Plate Interoperability (LPI) Hub for the 

exchange of account holder license plate information and account holder identification. Three 

hubs are proposed to operate a maximum of 6 months during the pilot. The ATI INPP 

transaction-processing concept provides a method to process license-plate-based transactions that 

cannot be identified by the toll operator as belonging to an existing toll account or a known 

violator at an Away Agency. This program is envisioned to be an interim solution for the toll 

industry to establish national interoperability until the toll industry adopts open-source RFID 

equipment or compatible multiprotocol RFID devices (23).

The need for interoperability among border crossings and toll roads within the United States will 

continue to increase as more toll roads near the border are built, such as the Loop 375 César 

Chávez managed lanes in El Paso, Texas. Furthermore, in the near future, California is planning

to add tolled border crossings such as the Otay Mesa East POE. The Otay Mesa East border 

crossing will most likely be interoperable with existing (SR-125) and future (SR-11) toll roads in 

the San Diego area (24). On the Mexican side, there are four toll facilities that operate near the 

border:
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 25 July 2012

• Carretera Federal 2 in Reynosa—this highway runs parallel to the border between 

Matamoros and Reynosa.

• Corridor Fiscal (Carretera Federal 15) in Arizona—this highway leads to the Nogales 

Mariposa border crossing. 

• Carretera Federal 2 in Baja California—this highway runs parallel to the border with 

California.

• Puente Cucapá near San Luis Colorado—this bridge crosses Carretera 2 leading to the 

San Luis II border crossing.

There are no corresponding tolling facilities on the U.S. side. The first three facilities are part of 

the Identificación Automática Vehicular (IAVE) program (described in the section below) and 

are therefore interoperable. The Puente Cucapá opened in 2010 and is not part of the IAVE 

program. This bridge is operated by CAPUFE on behalf of the concessionaire (25). 

Methods of Toll Collection

Normally, tolling agencies or operators select the methods for collecting tolls based on the 

technology available at the time of implementation, the budget, the market, and, to some degree,

what nearby toll facilities have implemented. The most typical methods for collecting tolls are 

manual collection, electronic toll collection, and automatic toll collection via automatic coin 

machines.

In manual toll collection, which is the simplest toll collection, a collector operating from a booth 

collects the toll. Automatic coin machines (ACMs) allow collection of several methods of 

payments such as coins, tokens, smart cards, and credit cards without the need for a collector. 

ETC is the most complex and latest method for collecting tolls. Although it has been in use for

more than 20 years, ETC continues to evolve. 

ETC is comprised of four subsystems: AVI, automatic vehicle classification (AVC), violation 

enforcement system (VES), and transaction processing, which includes a back office and 

customer service center (CSC). AVI is the most visible part of the system and probably the only 

one the user is aware of. AVI allows the proper identification of the vehicle so a toll can be 

charged to a particular customer. In terms of equipment, ETC can be accomplished through 

various technologies: a bar-coded label affixed to the vehicle and read by an optical device, a 

proximity card that is waved at a card reader, an RFID transponder mounted in the vehicle and a 

roadside unit to read it, and automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), in which an image of 

the vehicle’s license plate is captured and then matched to an account or the vehicle’s owner.

Of the 46 U.S.-Mexico border crossings, only 21 collect tolls (excluding the Los Ebanos Ferry 

crossing). Table 5 shows the U.S.-Mexico tolled border crossings. On the U.S.-Mexico border, 

Texas is the only State with tolled border crossings. The San Luis II POE has a connecting 

bridge on the Mexican side where tolls are collected in both directions by the Mexican operator. 

Because no toll is collected on the U.S. side, this bridge is considered – for the purpose of this 

study – a tolled facility near the border instead of a typical tolled border crossing. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 26 July 2012

Table 5. Method of toll collection at U.S.-Mexico tolled border crossings.

Border Crossing U.S. City ETC Technology on the U.S. side ETC Technology on the 

Mexican side

Veterans International Bridge Brownsville Barcode AVI (installed in 1999) Transponder (IAVE)

Gateway International Bridge Brownsville Barcode AVI (installed in 1999) Transponder (IAVE)

B&M Bridge Brownsville HID Proximity Card (Xpress Card Plus) None

Free Trade Bridge Los Indios Barcode AVI (installed in 1999) None

Progresso International Bridge Progresso None Transponder (IAVE)

Donna International Bridge Donna None None

Pharr-Reynosa Intl. Bridge on the 

Rise Pharr Transponder (eGo Tag) Transponder (IAVE)

McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa Bridge Hidalgo HID Prox, Card (EZCrossBridge TollTag) Transponder (IAVE)

Anzalduas International Bridge Mission HID Prox, Card (EZCrossBridge TollTag) None

Rio Grande City-Camargo Bridge Rio Grande Barcode AVI Transponder (IAVE)

Roma-Ciudad Miguel Aleman Bridge Roma None Transponder (IAVE)

Juarez-Lincoln Bridge Laredo Transponder (Laredo Trade Tag, eGo) Transponder (IAVE)

Gateway to the Americas Bridge Laredo Transponder (Laredo Trade Tag, eGo) Transponder (IAVE)

World Trade Bridge Laredo Transponder (Laredo Trade Tag, eGo) None

Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge Laredo Transponder (Laredo Trade Tag, eGo) None

Camino Real International Bridge Eagle Pass HID Proximity Card Reader None

Eagle Pass Bridge I Eagle Pass HID Proximity Card Reader Transponder (IAVE)

Del Rio-Ciudad Acuna Intl. Bridge Del Rio Barcode AVI Transponder (IAVE)

Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge El Paso Barcode AVI Transponder

Good Neighbor Bridge El Paso Barcode AVI Transponder (IAVE)

Paso del Norte Bridge El Paso Barcode AVI Transponder (IAVE)

Note: HID = Hughes Identification Devices Global Inc. 

Sources: (6), (8), (9), (10), (11), and (26).

Of the 21 tolled border crossings, 18 currently have AVI technology already in place and 3 have 

not implemented AVI yet. The sites with AVI have various types of AVI technology. Five sites

use transponder-based AVI technology, five sites use proximity cards that are electronically read 

by card readers with the tolls automatically debited from the customers’ accounts, and eight sites

use barcode technology. On the Mexican side, the situation is different; the number of border

crossings equipped with ETC technology does not match the U.S. sites so equipped. On the 

Mexican side, 14 border crossings have AVI, and all of them use transponder-based technology.

In Mexico, the agency in charge of operating most of the toll highways and border crossings 

nationwide is CAPUFE. Private concessionaires such as Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA),

also operate toll highways, but to a lesser extent after the Mexican government had to bail out 

most of the private concessions after the Mexican economic crisis of 1994. CAPUFE is a toll 

corporation owned by the Mexican federal government, which currently operates more than 700 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 27 July 2012

toll lanes (27). CAPUFE ETC transponder-based technology uses the Transcore ATA protocol, 

although it is upgrading to multiprotocol readers capable of reading multiple protocols such as 

the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 18000-6B eGo tag. 

CAPUFE’s ETC program is called IAVE and currently has 385 lanes equipped with AVI 

equipment. While CAPUFE has standardized ETC on its IAVE system, the other concessions 

have not standardized it. IAVE is currently accepted at 13 U.S.-Mexico border crossings. Of all 

the Mexican crossings with transponder-based AVI, only the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge is not part 

of IAVE. The obvious advantage of having a single agency operating most of the toll facilities is 

the use of the same transponder/reader protocol, consolidated CSC operations, and no 

interoperability issues. Figure 5 presents an overview of the toll road operations, management, 

and funding in Mexico. 

Source: (28)

Figure 5. Diagram describing Mexican toll road concessionaires, operators,

integrators and customer service centers.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

SCT

(Ministry of Transportation 

and Communication)

FARAC

(Rescued Concession 

HIghways)

CONCESSIONAIRES ICA MARHNOS GUTSA

OPERATORS CAPUFE OCACSA

INTEGRATORS SIMEX CONTROLES 

ELETRO 

MECANICOS

THALES INDRA TRMI

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

CENTERS

I+D INTEGRA
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 28 July 2012

The Mexican government agency that owns most of the toll roads in Mexico is called Banco 

Nacional de Obras y Servicios Público (BANOBRAS). CAPUFE operates BANOBRA’s toll 

roads on its behalf. Another example of agencies working together is the Fideicomiso de Apoyo 

al Rescate de Autopistas Concesionadas (FARAC) which “rescues” highways that had been 

under a concession, and these are operated by the Operación y Conservación de Autopistas 

Concesionadas (OCACSA). Currently, BANOBRAS is involved in a study to make all the 

tolling facilities in Mexico interoperable. As part of this study, BANOBRAS is evaluating how 

to leverage the plans of the Mexican Department of Motor Vehicles to install a transponder in all 

vehicles for registration. In 2008, the Mexican Department of Motor Vehicles selected Neology 

to provide 30 million ISO 18000-6C sticker transponders for this purpose. Technically, these 

transponders could be used for tolling as well.

Table 6 shows toll collection methods utilized at U.S.-Canada tolled border crossings. Seven out 

of the 10 selected border crossings are tolled, and unlike on the southern border, these tolled 

crossings are located in different states. All of the tolled border-crossing operations on the 

northern border use ETC technology for toll collection with the exception of the Blue Water 

Bridge, where the only method of payment available is cash and tokens. For those border 

crossings using ETC technology, six use transponder-based technology and one uses proximity 

cards.

Table 6. Method of toll collection at U.S.-Canada tolled border crossings.

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. 

State ETC Technology

Blue Water Bridge Port Huron MI None, tokens/cash

LewistonQueenston Lewiston NY Transponder, ExpressPass program (Transcore eGo tag)

Whirlpool Rapids Niagara 

Falls NY Transponder, NEXUS card used for tolls (IBM tag 

identical to eGo) 

Rainbow Bridge Niagara 

Falls NY Transponder, ExpressPass program (Transcore eGo tag)

Peace Bridge Buffalo NY Transponder, E-ZPass

Ambassador Detroit MI Transponder (Mark IV)

Detroit-Windsor Detroit MI Proximity cards for tolls (NEXPRESS), tokens 

Sources: (6), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), and (19).

Toll Rate Determination Based on Time of Day and Congestion Levels

All of the tolled border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border and the selected tolled border

crossings on the U.S.-Canada border currently have fixed toll rates. Currently, there is no 

pricing in place to adjust tolls based on congestion levels or toll rate schedules based on the time 

of the day and day of the week. The fixed toll rates are generally based on the type of vehicle, 

number of axles, and weight. The future Otay Mesa East POE will include a pricing component 

that is based on wait/crossing time, congestion management, and emissions reduction.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 29 July 2012

Coordination of Toll Rates between Operators on Opposite Sides of Borders and 

Supporting Agreements

On the U.S.-Canada border, there is coordination of toll rates on opposite sides of the border. 

In most cases, this is due to the way the agency was set up. Table 7 lists U.S.-Canada border

crossings and direction of tolling. Four of the border crossings are tolled in only one direction. 

The other three border crossings—Blue Water Bridge, Ambassador Bridge, and Detroit-Windsor 

tunnel—are tolled in both directions, and tolls are the same in both directions for passenger 

vehicles. The same agency operates the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, so 

toll rate coordination is inherent. The Blue Water Bridge is operated jointly by the Michigan 

Department of Transportation (DOT) and Blue Water Bridge Canada; tolls are the same in both 

directions for all vehicle classes.

Table 7. Direction of tolling at U.S.-Canada border crossings.

Border Crossing U.S. City U.S. State Direction of Tolling

Blue Water Bridge Port Huron MI Both ways

Lewiston-Queenston Lewiston NY One way 

Whirlpool Rapids Niagara Falls NY One way 

Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls NY One way 

Peace Bridge Buffalo NY One way 

Ambassador Detroit MI Both ways

Detroit-Windsor Detroit MI Both ways

Sources: (6), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), and (19).

For the U.S.-Mexico border, there is no published information about the level of coordination for 

setting tolls. Unlike U.S.-Canada border crossings, most of the bridges on the Mexican side are 

owned/operated by the Mexican government. The only exceptions are the B&B Bridge operated 

by the Brownsville & Matamoros Bridge Company, the Ebanos Ferry operated by private 

citizens, the World Trade Bridge (Puente III) operated by the state of Tamaulipas, and the 

Colombia Bridge operated by the State of Nuevo Leon. Interviews with selected border 

crossings indicate that there is no coordination of toll rates between U.S. operators and 

CAPUFE; each party sets tolls independently. In addition, there is no coordination in the setting 

of toll rates among U.S. operators along the U.S.-Mexico border. Tolls are set by each operator 

depending on its operations, budgetary and maintenance needs, and local conditions. However, 

operators tend to check the rates of the other operators when updating their tolls. This explains 

why the tolls are similar along the border. For example, the toll for a passenger vehicle currently 

ranges from $2.25 to $3.00.

In-Lane and Post-Event Enforcement Strategies for Drivers Avoiding Tolls

In manual lanes where a toll collector is present, usually the toll evasion rate is rather small. The 

use of toll barriers or gates is another method for deterring toll evaders. Toll barriers can be used 

in manual, automatic, or ETC lanes. Tolled border crossings in El Paso, Texas, have toll 

barriers. The downside is that vehicle throughput is reduced significantly even with high-speed 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 30 July 2012

gates with opening and closing times of less than 1 second. Regardless of the lane type, a VES is 

used to reduce the number of violators by acting as a deterrent. There are several types of VESs. 

Police presence at the collection point or downstream of it is a very effective deterrent, but the 

cost associated with this makes it very costly if used on a regular basis. A more cost-effective 

solution is the use of cameras taking images of license plates; the cameras then perform optical 

character recognition (OCR) scans of the image to get the owners’ information. Most of the 

current VESs perform the OCR automatically, thus reducing the cost for manual processing. 

Only those images in which the OCR does not meet a certain confidence level are reviewed by a 

person. Most of the toll roads where ETC is used have a VES component. 

Published information about border-crossing enforcement is limited. Interviews with key 

personnel at select border crossings confirmed the use of gates to reduce toll evasion as their 

primary deterrent. In the case of El Paso, cameras are present at each lane to take an image of 

the license plate, but there is no integration with the Department of Motor Vehicles to try to 

locate the vehicle owner. This is not considered a true VES system. The number of violations in 

toll roads near the borders, such as the Camino Colombia near Laredo, by vehicles with Mexican 

license plates is rather low. However, this might change as more AET toll roads are built near 

the border. 

Accepted Currency for Manual Payment Facilities

At the U.S.-Canada border, all of the selected tolled bridge crossings accept U.S. and Canadian 

currency. At the U.S.-Mexico border, all the Mexican and the largest U.S. border-crossing 

operators accept U.S. and Mexican currency for toll payment. The exchange rate varies by 

crossing and is set by the operating agency. 

TECHNOLOGY

Cross-Border Scan of Tolling Technologies and Tolling Standards Used by 

Regional Partners

As mentioned earlier, there is no interoperability at the U.S.-Mexico border on tolling operations. 

In the European Union (EU), there are several tolling systems that are currently being used. The 

most common time-based fee is the Eurovignette, which is a vignette or sticker-based system 

used in an agreement between several EU Member States that gives access to the road network 

on each other’s territory—hence the term “Eurovignette.” The EU is harmonizing tolling 

systems as well as rates using various technologies such as stickers (vignettes), global 

positioning systems (GPS), and RFID. The European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) is being 

developed with the anticipation that it will eventually enable road users to easily pay tolls using 

one system throughout the whole EU.

Enforcement Technologies Being Applied for Toll Payment Capture

A VES system is considered a subsystem of the toll collection system. A description of the 

various VES systems available is presented earlier in the document. This section will discuss 

mainly a camera-based VES. Its original use was solely for capturing license plate images of toll 

evaders. However, in the last few years, as newer cameras and illumination systems have 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 31 July 2012

become available in conjunction with greatly improved ALPR technology and OCR engines, 

VES systems have also started to be used for video tolling. The main purpose of the VES is to 

capture images of the vehicle license plates. Depending on the toll authority and business rules, 

the VES system captures the rear and/or front images. The VES equipment consists of a camera 

(or array of cameras), an illumination system, and a controller card or computer that interfaces 

with the lane controller and/or the back office. 

In an open road toll (ORT) environment, the cameras and illumination system are usually 

mounted on an overhead canopy. The number of cameras and layout depends on the lane 

configuration (single lane vs. multilane), lane width, shoulder width, need for capturing front 

and/or rear license plates, and type of camera used. In a traditional lane with booth 

configuration, the VES cameras are usually located in the island or mounted on the booth’s roof. 

VES systems have been widely used since the 1990s; however, reading of the license plate was 

traditionally done manually at the back office. In recent years, OCR and ALPR technology 

accuracy has evolved to the extent that now license plate reading is left mostly to the ALPR 

engine, leaving manual review for only those images that are too complex for the ALRP engine. 

The significant cost reduction for processing images and the high degree of accuracy of ALPR 

technology have allowed toll operators to offer video tolling as an alternate payment method 

without the need of a transponder.

Despite the recent progress made in OCR and ALPR, video tolling and VES systems still have 

several shortcomings (40):

• Poor image resolution, usually because the plate is out of focus.

• Blurry images, particularly motion blur, most likely at higher vehicle speeds.

• Poor lighting and low contrast due to overexposure, reflection, shadows, or plate 

background color or style.

• Difficulty in extracting the number plate due to:

a. An object obscuring (part of) the plate, often a tow bar or dirt on the plate.

b. A different font, as in out-of-state plates and vanity plates.

c. Different plate styles, as in Federal vehicles.

d. Circumvention techniques (such as reflective plates).

There are other types of VES systems than camera-based. As mentioned in an earlier section, 

police enforcement and toll gates are the simplest types of enforcement but are not necessarily 

cost effective or efficient. Some toll roads have been using mobile readers to identify violators 

on-site. An example of this is the mobile transponder readers used by police on the Minneapolis 

I-394 high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. Enforcement vehicles contain portable transponder 

readers, enabling enforcement officers to validate operational transponders while driving 

alongside of or immediately behind a target vehicle (41). Toll roads near the border, such as 

SR-125 near San Diego, California and SH-255 near Laredo, Texas use ALPR as their primary 

enforcement technology. Tolled border crossings, on the other hand, rely more on toll barriers

(gates) and in some cases – such as the El Paso region – on a basic camera-based VES without 

ALRP or the means to send violation notices.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 32 July 2012

Dedicated Short Range Communication Technology Use at the Border

The 915 MHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) has been the de-facto ETC 

technology in the United States. In October 1999, the U.S. Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC) allocated in the United States 75 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for 

DSRC to be used by ITS (42). Its main advantages are low latency, range, and security. One of 

the many applications for 5.9 GHz DRSC is in the tolling industry. The 5.9 GHz DSRC 

technology is interoperable and open source. This means that equipment replacements, 

upgrades, and spares can be bought from multiple manufacturers and operate seamlessly. 

In a tolling environment, the roadside equipment will communicate with the vehicle’s on-board 

equipment (OBE). The OBE might take several forms and shapes as it transitions from its earlier 

implementation phase to the ultimate goal of having the OBE embedded in the vehicle as it 

comes from the assembly plant. Due to the years it will take for vehicle manufacturers to start 

producing vehicles with integrated OBE and reach significant market penetration, the tolling 

industry is developing interim OBE that are portable and self-powered and will resemble the 

915 MHz toll transponders currently in use.

The literature review did not indicate that the 5.9 GHz DSRC technology is planned in the near 

future for toll facilities in the U.S. Interviews with selected border-crossing operators indicated 

that they are following 5.9 GHz developments closely but know of no concrete plans in the near 

future. In the medium- to long-term range, the San Diego Association of Governments 

(SANDAG), as part of its regional transportation plan, has identified future plans for Connected

Vehicle vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)/Smart Roads platform concepts, which specify 5.9 GHz.

Current Deployments

The 5.9 GHz technology is still in the demonstration and trial phases. Its use in tolling 

applications is moving forward at a slow pace. Although there has been interest in advancing 

this technology, no toll road operator or authority has issued an RFP specifying 5.9 GHz DRSC 

as the sole AVI requirement. A few recent RFPs, such as the Triangle Expressway in North 

Carolina and SR-520 in Washington State, do mention 5.9 GHz as a requirement, but only to the 

extent of asking proposers for an AVI solution that will allow them to migrate from 915 MHz to 

5.9 GHz in the future. The Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority I-85 HOT lanes RFP 

gives the option to propose either 915 MHz or 5.9 GHz technology. As of today, 5.9 GHz has 

been deployed only as a test bed or in demonstration projects. Some of these demonstration 

projects related to tolling applications are listed below.

V2V/V2I Proof-of-Concept Test: Researchers conducted this test in Detroit, Michigan, in 2008. 

It tested the ability of DSRC to enable interoperable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and V2I 

transactions for a suite of safety and mobility applications. 

Denver 5.9 GHz Toll Test Bed: This project consisted of testing an ETC system for ORT at one 

of the mainline barrier plazas on the E-470 highway near Denver for a two-week period in 

August and September 2008. As part of the test, 5.9 GHz DSRC equipment from Kapsch was 

used. Kapsch equipment included readers, antennas, and transponders. According to the test 

results, a 100 percent read success rate was achieved (43).
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 33 July 2012

ITS World Congress DSRC Live Demonstration: As part of the 15th ITS World Congress, 

Kapsch demonstrated its first fully live, functional 5.9 GHz DSRC interoperable technologies 

and integrated safety systems network in Manhattan and on the Long Island Expressway. More 

than 40 roadside equipment units were deployed as part of this demonstration (44). 

EPS (Electronic Payment Services): This project entails developing a vehicle-to-roadside

(V2R) electronic payment services national interoperability specification (EPSNIS) and 

confirming that the specification and use thereof supports a legacy environment (clearing 

transactions from toll roads and merchants through a toll authority) (45). The test phase of this 

project includes collocating 5.9 GHz equipment next to the 915 MHz AVI equipment at one 

bridge of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This project is in progress. 

5.9 GHz Test at Port of Hood Toll Bridge: The Oregon-Washington Bridge Company is 

conducting this test. The equipment was installed in the fall of 2010. One lane was equipped 

with a Kapsch 5.9 GHz reader along with the existing 915 MHz Transcore reader. This test 

allows for live testing in parallel with the Transcore eGo sticker transponders. Two hundred 

transponders are part of the test, which is expected to last 6 months (46). 

5.9 GHz DSRC Wireless Roadside Inspection System for New York State Energy Research 

and Development Authority: Kapsch will develop, demonstrate, and commercialize a system to 

allow State enforcement agencies to conduct virtual truck inspections evaluating the real-time 

safety of the commercial vehicle at highway speeds. The key components are in-vehicle 

applications on a Kapsch 5.9 GHz DSRC aftermarket device. The first of its kind, this virtual 

inspection system will be deployed at the Schodack integrated electronic screening site on I-90 

near Albany, New York, and is expected to be operational in 2011. The system will validate 

driver’s licenses; the status of registration; credentials; weight; and on-board safety systems 

including brakes, lights, and tires of participating trucks. This project supports broader efforts 

that are part of the FMCSA Wireless Roadside Inspection (WRI) Program as well as many of the 

USDOT’s Connected Vehicle Program goals (47).

Assessment of Equipment Manufacturers for Tolling Applications

This section will explore the progress made by the industry in terms of having a commercially 

available 5.9 GHz solution specifically for tolling applications. A scan of the major vendors was 

conducted for this report, and the results are presented below. The information was obtained 

from several sources and not always directly from the manufacturer due to confidentiality issues.

Kapsch: Kapsch has offered a 5.8 GHz solution for several years. It recently acquired a unit of 

TechnoCom’s mobility solutions business based in California, which is deeply involved in V2I 

technologies. In 2010, Kapsch announced its 5.9 GHz solution and showcased it in the ITS 

World Congress and Denver trials. In January 2011, Kapsch acquired Mark IV industries, which

is the sole source transponder and reader supplier for the E-ZPass® group. 

Transcore: Transcore is a member of the Omniair consortium and is involved in V2I. As part 

of V2I, Transcore is one of the four AVI equipment manufacturers responsible for prototyping a 

5.9 GHz solution. The prototype tasks include development of standards, hardware, software, 

and testing. The other three members are Mark IV, Sirit, and Raytheon. Transcore has
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 34 July 2012

proprietary 915 MHz solutions such as the eGo sticker tags and Encompass® reader. On 

September 14, 2009, Transcore announced that its Encompass 6 reader has been engineered to 

accommodate the future upgrade to 5.9 GHz technology. 

Mark IV: Mark IV is a member of the Omniair consortium, is involved in V2I, and has been 

very active in developing and testing 5.9 GHz technology. As part of the V2I/V2V proof-ofconcept testing in Detroit, Michigan, Mark IV tested its 5.9 GHz equipment in 2008. At some 

point, Mark IV offered its 5.9 GHz OTTO on BoardSM product, which consists of an OBE and 

roadside unit. However, this product was oriented toward the ultimate V2I goal of having the 

OBE integrated to the vehicle infrastructure. With Kapsch’s recent acquisition of Mark IV, the 

future of the OTTO on BoardSM product is not clear. 

Sirit: Sirit is a member of the Omniair consortium and is involved in V2I. Its involvement in the 

5.9 GHz arena appears to be more of a supporting role in developing and proving radio 

frequency test tools. As part of the V2V/V2I proof-of-concept testing in Detroit, Sirit provided a 

sniffer test tool to independently verify transmitted DSRC data and protocols. 

.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 35 July 2012

CHAPTER 4. TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS AND 

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND ENFORCEMENT

TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS

Several regions along the U.S.-Mexico border need to maximize the efficiency of transportation 

operations at their international border crossings using traditional as well as advanced 

technology, including ITS. The objective of this chapter is to research, assess, and document the 

current state of use of ITS technologies and operational concepts by agencies on the U.S.-Mexico 

and U.S.-Canada borders to improve traffic management and transportation management around 

the border crossings. 

This chapter describes bi-national coordination and identifies where there are possibilities for 

coordination between agencies across the border in support of traffic management and operation 

around the border crossings. As an example, a list of technologies deployed at various border

crossings along the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders was compiled on a separate project. 

The information obtained from the literature review was updated through interviews with the 

stakeholder agencies. 

Level of Data Sharing and Integration with Mexican Partners

Review of regional U.S. ITS architectures provides significant insight into how individual 

regions prioritize information sharing with Mexican agencies. Based on a brief overview of 

regional ITS architectures from the U.S. side, it is clear that stakeholders from individual regions 

have placed different priorities on interfacing with Mexican counterpart agencies. For example, 

Laredo’s ITS architecture does not include stakeholders from Mexico, while Pharr’s ITS 

architecture includes Mexican emergency management agencies (EMAs) as a stakeholder group 

and interfaces with TMCs operated in the Pharr region—even though none exist at present. New 

Mexico’s statewide architecture mentions interfaces with New Mexico Department of 

Transportation (NMDOT) District 1 (Las Cruces region) with a Mexican regional TMC. 

Analysis of inconsistencies between regional ITS architectures regarding information sharing 

with Mexican agencies should be investigated. 

The literature review and interviews with officials on both sides of the border revealed that 

sharing of real-time traffic management data between agencies from both sides of the U.S.-

Mexico border has been limited. Compared to Canadian agencies on the U.S.-Canada border, 

Mexican counterparts on the U.S.-Mexico border have only to a very limited degree deployed 

ITS with the specific purpose of incident management around border crossings. In addition, 

none of the cities on the Mexican side of the border has deployed TMCs to manage and operate 

transportation systems including border crossings. TMCs are a crucial platform for sharing

information between regions. However, conversations with officials mentioned that there has 

been little or no progress in U.S. agencies sharing their TMC data with agencies in Mexico.

This may change in the future. Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) is planning to 

deploy several TMCs in the border region. SCT is going ahead with construction of regional 

TMCs in the cities of Monterrey and Chihuahua. The TMCs will monitor Mexican federal 

roadways and toll roads, many of which terminate at international border crossings. These 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 36 July 2012

TMCs will be able to operate ITS field devices deployed on roadways close to border crossings

and provide ATI, which will include traffic conditions on roadways as well as border crossings 

(48). In addition, the ITS system envisioned by SCT includes TMCs to be operated by toll 

concessionaires that will share real-time data with TMCs on the U.S. side of the border (49).

Interviews with officials revealed that agencies from both sides of the border make requests for 

assistance while responding to disasters. In the absence of TMCs, communication among

agencies on both sides of the border is limited to methods such as radio and mobile phones. It is 

important to keep in mind that requests for information/assistance between the two countries 

happen at the city level and not county or State level (50). Thus, data sharing among crossborder agencies should happen at the local level because of the immediate need to respond to 

incidents and emergencies and the fact that local enforcement agencies are the first ones to 

respond.

Regions in the United States have adopted a consistent set of standards for information 

exchange. A recommended list of standards can be found in a report prepared by the National 

ITS Architecture Team for the recent Border Wait-Time Project on the U.S.-Canada border. 

The standards come from the National ITS Architectures of both the United States and Canada. 

Table 8 displays a list of candidate ITS standards for the Border Wait-Time Project, including

Lead Standards Developing Organization (SDOs).

Table 8. Candidate ITS standards for the Border Wait-Time Project on the U.S.-Canada border.

Lead SDO Standard Name

AASHTO/ITE Traffic Management Data Dictionary (TMDD) and Message Sets for External 

TMC Communications

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA National Transportation Communications for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) Center-toCenter Standards Group

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA NTCIP Center-to-Field Standards Group

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA Global Object Definitions

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA Object Definitions for Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) Control

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA Object Definitions for Data Collection and Monitoring Devices

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA Object Definitions for Closed Circuit Television Switching

AASHTO/ITE/NEMA Data Element Definitions for Transportation Sensor Systems

ASTM Standard Practice for Metadata to Support Archived Data Management 

Systems

Note: ITE: Institute for Transportation Engineers, AASHTO: American Association of State Highway 

Transportation Officials, NEMA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association, ASTM: American Society for 

Testing and Materials 

Source: (51).
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 37 July 2012

An efficient bi-national data exchange can only take place if agencies on both sides of the border 

follow common standards whether the exchange takes place between centers or field devices. 

The SCT recently finalized the National ITS Strategic Plan, which includes planning, 

development, and implementation strategies for ITS at the national, regional, and local levels. 

Other studies include developing and updating ITS processes, standards, and protocols. The 

objective of the study was to use this result to promote ITS system implementation and 

interoperable applications at the local and regional levels. The project will ensure software and 

hardware consistency, interconnectivity, and compatibility. It will define the institutional 

structure needed to supervise the implementation of the Mexican National ITS Strategic Plan. 

Different levels of adoption of current ITS standards by both countries (and regions across the 

border) will most likely hinder exchange of real-time traffic data. It remains to be seen how 

ongoing and future projects (discussed in chapter 6) plan and implement real-time data exchange 

between agencies (rather than TMCs) in both countries. 

Technology Used for Inspecting, Weighing, and Screening to Increase Efficiency

Several Border States are implementing technologies to increase efficiency at border crossings. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT implemented a project called Expedited 

Processing at International Crossings (EPIC), which combined proven ITS technologies to 

expedite processing, compliance monitoring, and traffic management, at the Nogales POE in 

1998. EPIC’s features included the slow weigh-in-motion (SWIM) system, CCTV monitoring, 

AVI, VMSs, digital imaging equipment, future installation of thermal imaging for safety-related 

issues, and USDOT number readers sending data to the database system for storage and 

integration of information from all of the technologies, communications systems, and ancillary 

equipment. EPIC also provided a means to access and update information from motor carrier 

service records. Currently, ADOT is coordinating the implementation of EPIC III with their

commercial vehicle border crossing time and wait-time measurement projects.

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) in Texas and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in 

California operate border vehicle safety inspection facilities (BSIFs). The Texas DPS, working 

with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), is implementing an RFID-based system 

to monitor inspection times inside the BSIF and also to identify carriers that should not bypass 

the inspection process based on their safety records. The system is similar to the FAST system 

but is based on information from the carrier’s safety records. This system is being implemented 

at the Bridge of the Americas in El Paso and is not fully deployed yet.

The BSIFs in Texas and California have weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems that identify 

overweight vehicles as they enter the vehicle safety inspection stations. Commercial vehicle 

weight regulations in Mexico and Canada are different from those the U.S. Rules and 

regulations for the two U.S. NAFTA trading partners allow for heavier trucks; therefore, it is 

important to verify that trucks coming into the United States comply with local standards. WIM 

border data are currently not being shared or archived. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 38 July 2012

Technology Being Deployed or Proposed to Improve Border-Crossing Time by 

CBP

CBP’s dual mission is to secure the nation’s borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel. 

CBP enforces a number of trade laws and protects domestic industry by applying quota and visa 

restrictions. These different security and economic aspects that CBP needs to enforce can be 

divided into three types of inspections at land POEs:

• Immigration inspections: These inspections enforce immigration laws and focus on 

keeping aliens who violate any of the laws from entering the country. 

• Customs inspections: These inspections have the purpose of controlling the import and 

export flows of the United States, collecting the necessary revenues, and preventing the 

smuggling of illicit goods. 

• Agriculture inspections: These inspections are meant to ensure a safe and affordable food 

supply.

CBP has implemented a variety of technologies at land POEs, and the most recent 

implementation is part of the WHTI. Other technologies for scanning were implemented as part 

of the trusted-traveler programs for commercial and passenger vehicles (FAST and SENTRI). 

Table 9 and Figure 6 present technologies that currently are in operation at the federal 

compounds at land POEs. Table 9 includes information on the stages of the process and the 

programs under which these technologies operate.
Final Report 39 February 29, 2012

Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology

—

Current and Future Concepts

Table 9. Land POE technologies and their use in traffic screening and border crossing programs.

Land POE Technology

Ped. Pre-screeningPOV pre-screeningCV pre-screeningPed. PrimaryPOV PrimaryCV PrimaryPed. SecondaryPOV SecondaryCV SecondaryFAST programNEXUS programSENTRI programUS-VISIT programRPM program

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No

Data mining Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No

Explosive Detection Systems No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No

Fingerprint Recognition No No No No No No No No No No No No Yes No

K-9 Unit Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No No No

License Plate Reader (LPR) No Yes Yes No No No No No No No No No No No

Passport Readers No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Proximity Cards No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Fixed Gamma-ray imaging No No No Yes No No No No No No No No No No

Mobile Gamma-ray imaging No No No No No No No No No No No No No No

Vehicle Tags Radio-frequency Identification 

(RFID)

No Yes Yes No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

ID Cards RFID No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Fixed Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes

Portable RPM Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes

Fixed X-ray Imaging No No No Yes No No No Yes Yes No No No No No

Mobile X-ray Imaging No No No No No No No No Yes No No No No No

Advanced Backscatter X-ray Imaging No No No No No No No Yes Yes No No No No No

*Advanced backscatter x-ray imaging is an emerging technology that is being implemented on a limited basis at certain land POEs

.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 40 July 2012

Source: (52)

Figure 6. Photograph depicting technologies implemented at the CBP compound in

the Bridge of the Americas.

Planned Special Events at and around Border Crossings

Federal, State, and local agencies play a significant role in planning and responding to planned 

special events (PSEs) that impact operation of border crossings and the surrounding areas. PSEs

include visits to the border by high-profile individuals, major cultural and sporting events, major 

holidays (e.g., Easter and Christmas) that draw huge cross-border shopping trips, large crossborder cattle movements, and introduction of new identification requirements to cross the border. 

While none of these events requires closing the POE, one may severely increase the wait times 

of passenger vehicles entering the United States. 

Based on the interviews conducted with the stakeholder agencies of the border regions, such 

events are planned ahead using ad-hoc meetings among agencies of all levels (53). Table 10 lists 

agencies and their roles, methods of communication, and ITS use at different border regions. 

Each agency then lays out its subsequent roles according to its jurisdictions to assist traffic 

management during the event. In most cities, even if the roadways are State maintained, they 

may be operated by the cities. In such cases, local law enforcement agencies respond to 

incidents around border crossings. One major difference between the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-

Mexico borders is that most major border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border are situated in the 

middle of urban centers (often downtowns and central business districts) on both sides of the 

border. Hence, local law enforcement agencies are expected to be significantly involved while 

planning and managing special events around border crossings.

Legend

1. Closed-circuit 

Television

2. Fingerprint 

Recognition

3. K-9 Unit

4. License Plate Reader

5. Passport Readers

6. Proximity Cards

7. Gamma ray Imaging

8. Radio-frequency 

Identification

9. Radiation Portal 

Monitor

10. X-ray Imaging

1

2

3

4

5

8

9

6

8

9

7

10

4

5

5

6

6

8
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 41 July 2012

While responding to the event, agencies with access to ITS field devices use such devices to 

monitor the progression of traffic around border crossings. However, none of the border regions 

has developed a centralized information system through which communication and data sharing 

could occur between the agencies to monitor the progression of traffic during the event. 

Communication among agencies on both sides of the border is limited to methods such as radio 

communication and mobile phones.

Table 10. Method of communication and use of ITS to inform motorists for

planned special events.

Border 

Region

Agencies and Their Roles in Managing 

Planned Special Events

Method of 

Communication

Use of ITS to 

Inform 

Motorists

Laredo –

Nuevo 

Laredo

Webb and Hidalgo County Metropolitan 

Planning Organization (MPO), Nuevo 

Laredo, City of Laredo, police and fire 

departments, TxDOT, Mayor’s Office from 

both cities across the border, CBP, EPA, 

and DPS.

City of Laredo/Hidalgo County MPO 

coordinates the meetings to plan for a 

special event and brings rest of the 

agencies together. Each agency then lays 

out its subsequent role(s) according to its 

jurisdiction to assist traffic management 

during the event.

While responding to an 

event, agencies on the 

U.S. side use ITS field 

devices but do not have 

centralized information 

systems in place through 

which communication and 

data sharing could occur 

among the agencies to 

monitor the progression of 

traffic during the event.

Mostly limited to 

display of 

information via 

fixed VMSs on 

the U.S. side 

only, and press 

releases carried 

through local 

media. 

El Paso –

Ciudad 

Juarez

El Paso MPO, Ciudad Juarez, City of El 

Paso, police and fire departments, TxDOT, 

IMIP, Mayor’s Office from both cities across 

the border, CBP, EPA, and DPS.

El Paso MPO coordinates the meetings to 

plan for a special event and brings rest of 

the agencies together. Each agency then 

lays out its subsequent role(s) according to 

its jurisdiction to assist traffic management 

during the event.

While responding to an 

event, agencies use ITS 

field devices on the U.S. 

side but do not have 

centralized information 

systems in place through 

which communication and 

data sharing could occur 

among the agencies to 

monitor the progression of 

traffic during the event.

Mostly limited to 

display of 

information via 

fixed VMSs on 

the U.S. side, 

and press 

releases carried 

through local 

media. 

Santa 

Teresa –

Ciudad 

Juarez

New Mexico Border Authority (NMBA), City 

of Sunland Park, City of Las Cruces, Ciudad 

Juarez, police and fire departments, 

NMDOT, Mayor’s Office from both cities 

across the border, CBP, EPA, DPS.

NMBA coordinates the meetings to plan for 

a special event and brings rest of the 

agencies together. Each agency then lays 

out its subsequent role(s) according to its 

jurisdictions to assist traffic management 

during the event.

Mostly limited to face-toface meetings and 

telephone calls.

Press releases 

carried through 

local media.

Note: EPA = Environmental Protection Agency, IMIP = Metropolitan Planning Agency of Ciudad Juarez, NMBA = 

New Mexico Border Authority.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 42 July 2012

Real-Time Incident Management at and around Border Crossings

State and local agencies play a significant role in responding to incidents around border 

crossings. Individual roles of these agencies depend on the presence of State and/or local 

roadways that lead to and from the border crossings and their current jurisdictions for traffic 

operation on these roadways. In most cities, even if the roadways are State-maintained, they 

may be operated by the cities. In such cases, local law enforcement agencies respond to 

incidents around border crossings. One major difference between the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-

Mexico borders is that most major border crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border are situated in the 

middle of urban centers (often downtowns and central business districts) on both sides of the 

border. Hence, local law enforcement agencies are much more involved during incident 

management on the U.S.-Mexico border, while State and county agencies play a much bigger 

role on the U.S.-Canada border. 

While local police and fire departments respond to all incidents, local fire departments have a 

much bigger role in responding to hazardous materials (HAZMAT)-related incidents. Local fire 

departments are trained to contain HAZMAT spills. Given the circumstances of the spill and 

nature of the HAZMAT, the EPA and regional emergency management may be called upon to 

contain the incident. 

All the border State DOTs at the U.S.-Mexico border operate TMCs with significant investments 

in ITS for incident management. Compared to agencies on the U.S.-Canada border, their 

counterparts on the U.S.-Mexico border have deployed ITS only to a very limited degree with 

the specific purpose of incident management around border crossings. Table 11 describes roles 

and responsibilities of local, State, and Federal agencies on both sides of the border for real-time 

incident management. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 43 July 2012

Table 11. Roles and responsibilities of various local, State, and Federal agencies for

real-time incident management.

Agency Description of Roles and Responsibilities Access to ITS

U.S. and Mexican 

County or Municipal 

Public Safety 

Agencies

These agencies are responsible for law enforcement and first 

response and include city or county police departments, fire, 

and ambulance services; sheriff’s departments; and State 

police. Fire departments are de-facto response agencies for 

HAZMAT-related incidents at and around border crossings. 

Cities on the U.S. side of the 

border have agreements with 

State DOTs to access ITS field 

devices. 

U.S. State 

Department of Public 

Safety/Highway Patrol

State Department of Public Safety (in TX, NM, and AZ) and the 

Highway Patrol (in CA) manage incidents on State highways in 

the United States.

State DPS and Highway Patrol 

have agreements with State 

DOTs to access ITS field 

devices.

U.S. State DOTs

State DOTs are responsible for managing, operating, and/or 

maintaining State-owned transportation infrastructure around 

border crossings. Services provided include advanced traffic 

management, traveler information, and other services.

State DOTs own and operate a 

wide range of ITS field devices 

for incident management. 

Mexican Army The Mexican Army inspects trucks entering the U.S. for 

narcotics and illegal goods. None

U.S. and Mexican 

Federal Law 

Enforcement

Federal law enforcement agencies respond to major incidents at 

and around border crossings. 

None

U.S. and Mexican Toll 

Authorities

These agencies include Government agencies (and could 

include public-private arrangements) responsible for the 

administration, operation, and maintenance of bridges, tunnels, 

turnpikes, and other fee-based roadways. They help local 

police and fire departments.

Agencies are equipped with 

CCTVs and VMSs on their 

facilities and use them to monitor 

toll violators; if needed, field 

devices can be used for traffic 

management. 

U.S. EMAs

These include county and State agencies that coordinate overall 

response to large-scale incidents or major disasters. These 

agencies have mandates to set up emergency operations 

centers to respond to and recover from natural, manmade, and 

war-caused emergencies, and for assisting local governments 

in their emergency preparedness, response, and recovery 

efforts.

EMAs coordinate with State 

DOTs to access ITS field 

devices during incident 

response.

Mexican EMAs

These EMAs are in charge of dispatching police, medical, and 

firefighter units in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Anyone can call this 

number to report all kinds of incidents including HAZMAT 

incidents.

The agency uses the same 

technology as the one used by 

the 9-1-1 system in the United 

States. The only difference is 

that the agency can identify the 

location of nearest field unit 

using GPS devices. 

U.S. EPA

EPA call center will assist with basic containment and call an 

EPA contractor that is specially trained to respond and contain 

specific HAZMAT problems. Local law enforcement will assist 

with the HAZMAT containment along with local fire department. 

State DOTs and/or city police 

and fire departments assist the 

EPA with traffic management 

activities during HAZMAT 

incidents, but EPA does not 

have access to ITS field devices.

Source: (54) and (55).
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 44 July 2012

Table 12 describes how various border regions manage incidents and how motorists are provided 

with incident-related information.

Table 12. Method of communication and use of ITS to inform motorists for incident management.

Border 

Region

Agencies and Their Roles in Managing 

Incidents Method of Communication

Use of ITS to 

Inform 

Motorists

LaredoNuevo 

Laredo

City of Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, police 

departments, fire departments, TxDOT, CBP, 

and EPA.

Because all the border crossings are within 

the city limits, police and fire departments 

have jurisdictions to respond to incidents 

around the border crossings. CBP responds 

to all incidents within its compound and 

occasionally requests assistance from the 

local fire department and EPA to respond to 

HAZMAT-related incidents within the CBP 

compound. 

During the event, there are no information 

systems in place through which 

communication and data sharing could occur 

between agencies on both sides of the border 

to monitor the progression of traffic during the 

incident. U.S. agencies such as TxDOT, 

police departments, and fire departments do,

however, exchange information via very high 

frequency (VHF) radio and have access to 

CCTV cameras installed by TxDOT on State 

roadways. 

Mostly limited to 

relay of 

information via 

fixed DMSs, and 

local media in the 

United States.

El PasoCiudad 

Juarez

City of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, City of 

Sunland Park, police departments, fire 

departments, TxDOT, CBP, EPA.

Because all the border crossings are within 

the city limits, police and fire departments 

have jurisdictions to respond to incidents 

around the border crossings. While CBP 

responds to all incidents within its compound, 

it occasionally requests assistance from the 

fire departments and EPA to respond to 

HAZMAT-related incidents within the CBP 

compound. 

During the event, there are no information 

systems in place through which 

communication and data sharing could occur 

between agencies on both sides of the border 

to monitor the progression of traffic during the 

incident. U.S. agencies such as TxDOT, 

police departments, and fire departments do,

however, exchange information via VHF radio 

and have access to CCTV cameras installed 

by TxDOT on State roadways. 

Mostly limited to 

relay of 

information via 

fixed dynamic 

message signs, 

and local media in 

the United States.

Santa 

TeresaCiudad 

Juarez

Highway Patrol is the major agency 

responsible for managing incidents around 

border crossings, since none of them is 

within city limits, except for City of Columbus.

During the event, there are no information 

systems in place through which 

communication and data sharing could occur 

between agencies on both sides of the border 

to monitor the progression of traffic during the 

incident. U.S. agencies such as the Highway 

Patrol and fire departments do, however,

exchange information via VHF radio. There 

are no CCTV cameras deployed close to 

border crossings. 

There are no 

VMS signs close 

to border 

crossings. Hence, 

incidents are 

relayed through 

the 5-1-1 system 

in the U.S.

Along the U.S.-Mexico border areas, many cities have signed sister city agreements. Many of 

these agreements were inspired by the U.S. and Mexico Border 2012 Program. The cities of 

Laredo and Nuevo Laredo developed a cross-border contingency plan in 1998 as part of a sister 

city agreement to allow either city to utilize resources and manpower essential to respond to 

emergencies and disasters within the two Federal boundaries (56). A similar bi-national 

emergency plan (focused on HAZMAT) was signed in 2007 among the City of El Paso, Ciudad 

Juarez, and the City of Sunland Park under the 14th border sister city agreement (57). The plan 

calls for police, fire, paramedics, and other emergency response personnel from both sides of the 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 45 July 2012

border to respond quickly to large fires, dangerous chemical spills, or other emergencies. In 

2000, the border cities of Nogales, Arizona and Sonora also signed a bi-national prevention and 

emergency response plan to improve their ability to prevent and respond to fire, chemical, and/or 

HAZMAT emergencies (58). 

However, due to liability issues associated with the risk of responding to a HAZMAT incident on 

the other side of the border, fire departments on the U.S. side are not allowed to cross into 

Mexico and directly respond to HAZMAT incidents (54). For example, one of the most 

important liability issues is disability insurance. Insurance companies in the U.S. will neither 

recognize nor pay disability to U.S. fire station personnel if they are injured when responding to 

an incident in Mexico. 

This dilemma might be changing soon because authorities are trying to mandate disability 

coverage regardless of where an accident or disability occurs. However, no authority will risk 

predicting the outcome. In spite of these hurdles, the cities of El Paso and Sunland Park on the 

U.S. side maintain a close relationship with colleagues from Ciudad Juarez and provide frequent 

training in HAZMAT response. There are existing information-sharing agreements, some of 

which are formalized and some of which are informal. For example, the El Paso Fire 

Department has close ties with counterparts in Ciudad Juarez and communicates with fire 

stations from the other side of the border via telephone calls in case of a HAZMAT incident. 

Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

About 5,000 tons of HAZMAT worth over $4 billion dollars was exported to Mexico in 2002. 

The U.S.-Mexico border region experiences a concentrated flow of HAZMAT. On the Mexican 

side, 2,600 manufacturing plants use and/or produce an enormous amount of HAZMAT; the 

material is then processed at factories in Mexico, the products are shipped around the world, and 

the remaining HAZMAT is brought back to the United States. Under NAFTA requirements, all 

HAZMAT that is shipped into Mexico or generated during the manufacturing process must be 

shipped back to its point of origin, typically the United States. The U.S. side has concentrated 

areas of storage and disposal facilities. Thus, the delivery and return of HAZMAT has created a 

HAZMAT transportation corridor. 

Fifty percent of the trade that crosses through Laredo involves HAZMAT. Laredo has an 

enormous potential for a disaster involving HAZMAT due to the volume of HAZMAT cargo and

commerce alongside the tourism present on both sides of the border (59). Additionally, Laredo 

has over 60 million square feet of warehouse space, and at least a quarter of that space contains 

HAZMAT and is highly vulnerable to terrorism including biochemical terrorism.

The literature review and interviews with officials from border regions revealed that disasters 

due to HAZMAT are the biggest concern—even bigger than natural disasters.

Border cities along with the counties have formed emergency management offices/centers, which 

work closely with State and Federal emergency agencies such as the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. EPA. The purpose of the emergency operations 

centers (EOCs) is to provide a location where multiple levels of Government, agencies, and 

organizations can coordinate decisions, resources, and public information on a strategic level. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 46 July 2012

Emergency management centers (EMCs) are also responsible for the development and 

implementation of emergency plans, training, public outreach—and most importantly—

coordination of local, State, and Federal officials while responding to major disasters. 

For example, the El Paso County Office of Emergency Management is responsible for 

developing and implementing plans for the protection of the community and for minimizing the 

effects of a natural or manmade disaster. The agency is further responsible for designing and 

directing local emergency exercises, coordinating the activities of local agencies and resources 

during disaster, coordinating requests for assistance, and providing information to State and 

Federal agencies during disaster operations. The agency also coordinates with other city and 

county departments regarding responsibilities during a disaster, compiling, and submitting all 

reports required by the State and Federal agencies. This agency is also responsible for

responding to HAZMAT incidents. The agency has defined disasters as incidents that require 

mass emergency evacuations, natural and manmade disasters, HAZMAT incidents, and border 

violence incidents. 

The agency also provides an emergency notification service that contacts individuals and 

provides vital information/instructions during a city-wide emergency or disaster. The agency 

maintains an emergency alert system called EPEMERGENCYALERT.COM and can send alerts 

to the county residents only. It uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to send 

alerts to only those target areas.

Similar EMAs exist in all U.S. cities along the U.S.-Mexico border region, as Table 13 shows. 

All of these agencies, except Mexican agencies and the agencies in Nogales have capabilities to 

alert their residents about impending situations.

The cities of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo developed a cross-border contingency plan in 1998 as 

part of the sister city agreement to allow either city to utilize resources and manpower essential 

to respond to emergencies and disasters within the two Federal boundaries (56). A similar binational emergency plan (focused on HAZMAT) was signed in 2007 between the City of 

El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and the City of Sunland Park under the 14th border sister city agreement 

(58). The plan calls for police, fire, paramedics, and other emergency response personnel from 

both sides of the border to respond quickly to large fires, dangerous chemical spills, or other 

emergencies. In 2000, the border cities of Nogales and Arizona-Sonora also signed a bi-national 

prevention and emergency response plan to improve their ability to prevent and respond to fire, 

chemical, and/or HAZMAT emergencies (58). 

It is obvious from the literature review and interview with officials that despite the need to share 

information in real time between agencies in Mexico and the United States, none of the agencies 

has developed such a system. Interviews with officials revealed that agencies from both sides of 

the border do make requests for assistance in times of disaster. Most of the requests for 

assistance and coordination still happen through a traditional method of communication—

telephones. Even though sister city agreements allow agencies on both sides of the border to 

utilize communication to share information while planning, responding, and managing 

HAZMAT incidents in real time, such systems have not been developed due to lack of funds.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 47 July 2012

Table 13. Use of ITS by border agencies for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Border Region

Disaster 

Response 

Plan

Agencies Involved in 

Responding Use of ITS

Laredo-Nuevo 

Laredo Yes City of Laredo, County 

of Webb, TxDOT Not available

El PasoCiudad Juarez Yes City of El Paso, El 

Paso County, TxDOT 

El Paso Emergency Alert System run by the 

City/County of El Paso delivers messages by 

telephone, text, email, etc. to its residents. 

The system provides radio operators with all 

forms of communications as well as provides 

supplemental communications to the Sheriff's 

Office. City/County also uses the Webbased Emergency Operations Center 

(WebEOC) as a crisis information 

management system and provides secure 

real-time information sharing among partner 

agencies. TxDOT relays information to 

motorists on fixed VMSs about the 

hazardous conditions.

Ciudad Juarez under 

the direction of Civil 

Protection

There is no centralized alert system such as

El Paso and San Diego have.

Santa TeresaCiudad Juarez Yes Dona Ana County

EOC is operated by Luna and Dona Ana 

Counties. The center communicates with the 

first responders, but there is no centralized 

alert system like the ones El Paso and San 

Diego have.

Ciudad Juarez under 

the direction of Civil 

Protection

There is no centralized alert system like the 

ones El Paso and San Diego have.

NogalesNogales Yes Pima County, City of 

Nogales

A system is available for residents of the 

county to receive alerts via text messages 

and email (60). Service does not extend to 

residents across the border.

Otay MesaTijuana Yes

San Diego County 

and 18 other 

incorporated cities

within the county

San Diego County and other incorporated

cities use WebEOC (61).

Source: (61)

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Technology and State-of-Practice Scan to Measure and Share Border Wait Times 

and Delay

The CBP and the CBSA are two agencies that measure border wait times and share the 

information in the public domain. The CBP measures wait times of vehicles inbound to the 

United States using one of five methods depending on the POE: unaided visual observation, 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 48 July 2012

cameras, driver surveys, time-stamped cards, and ALPRs. The CBSA uses similar techniques 

(62). CAPUFE, the Mexican federal agency that operates the border crossings, does not relay 

border wait times. Mexican motorists rely on the information relayed by the CBP for such 

information. 

Understanding the shortcomings of the data relayed by the border agencies, the FHWA and 

TxDOT have deployed several ITS projects. These deployments use RFID technology to 

measure and relay highly accurate and reliable wait times and crossing times of commercial 

vehicles. These RFID technology-based systems have already been deployed at the Bridge of 

the Americas in El Paso, Texas, and the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas. 

TxDOT is further deploying similar systems in Laredo and McAllen, Texas. The Arizona 

Department of Transportation is implementing a similar RFID-based system to measure wait

times of trucks at the Mariposa POE in Nogales. 

A border wait-time (BWT) work group comprised of the CBP, FHWA, CBSA, and Transport 

Canada (TC) has been working together to foster the use of technologies for automating the 

measurement and dissemination of U.S.‐Canada land border crossing wait time data (51). 

The working group is undertaking the Border Wait Time Project, which has the purpose of (a) 

identifying and evaluating automated, technology‐based solutions for measuring border wait 

times, and (b) deploying an automated, technology‐based solution for measuring border wait 

times at two border-crossing locations along the U.S.-Canada border.

The initial phase of the project will involve testing of a range of approaches to border wait time 

determination (e.g., queue length measurement systems, fixed-point vehicle re-identification 

systems, and dynamic vehicle tracking systems) at two international border crossings:

• Peace Bridge—Buffalo/Niagara Region.

• Pacific Highway—British Columbia/Washington Region.

Later phases of the project will identify solutions that meet functional needs and agency budget 

limitations and facilitate deployment at all U.S.-Canada international border crossings.

Toll collection agencies and concessionaires on the U.S.-Mexico border continue to use ALPR

technology for toll collection and enforcement. However, toll collection agencies mainly deploy 

ALPR at entrances and exits of bridges or tunnels and may not have incentives to deploy ALPR 

farther upstream or downstream to measure wait or crossing times. However, use of ALPR to 

measure and relay wait times or crossing times is nonexistent at POEs on the U.S.-Mexico 

border. 

Some private concessionaires on the U.S.-Canada border use Bluetooth technology to measure 

crossing times of passenger vehicles, which are then relayed to motorists via Internet and VMSs. 

However, there are concerns that private concessionaires might be reluctant to accurately report 

longer wait times if there are competing concessionaires operating in the same region. 

Deployment of vehicle detection technology for the purposes of measuring traffic volume and 

queue length at border crossings is limited. Very few agencies on the U.S.-Canada border have 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 49 July 2012

deployed vehicle detectors at border crossings. The Ontario Ministry’s Advanced Traffic 

Management Section led an initiative to implement an intelligent Queue Warning System (QWS) 

on Hwy 402 to automatically detect queues and warn motorists in advance of the queue via 

variable message signs. The system leveraged the experience gained from a similar system 

previously implemented by ATMS on the Hwy 405 and Queen Elizabeth Way Niagara U.S. 

border crossing. The system consists of inductive loop detectors to detect vehicle queue, CCTV 

cameras for queue verification, and flashing beacons and VMSs to warn approaching motorists. 

Instead of physically connecting camera sites to a TMC, the system uses a long-haul wireless 

Ethernet system utilizing existing communications towers as repeater sites using 5.8 GHz spread 

spectrum radio (63).

Volume of vehicles that cross the border is also collected by both CBSA and CBP and is 

distributed to State DOTs and other agencies in highly aggregated temporal granularity. In 

addition, agencies operating at the border are also interested in deploying vehicle detectors to 

count volume of approaching vehicles with hopes of using that information to estimate queue 

lengths and delay time. Both the Washington State DOT (WSDOT) and British Columbia 

Ministry of Transportation (BCMoT) have installed inductive loop detectors on roadways 

approach the Cascade Gateway border crossing. A system maintained by the Whatcom Council 

of Governments (WCOG) archives the vehicle detector data and provides historical wait time, 

volume, queue length, and service rate data to regional organizations, agencies, and the public 

(64). 

However, past studies have shown conflicting results in terms of these algorithms being able to 

accurately estimate queue lengths and wait times. A fundamental problem is that the reliability 

and accuracy of counting vehicles and speed reduces significantly with increasing density and 

slow-moving traffic, which is typical at major border crossings. 

Table 14 includes a list of border crossings and agencies deploying various ITS technologies to 

collect data such as volume of approaching vehicles, crossing times, wait times, and queue 

length. 

Vehicle detection technologies are divided into two broad categories—intrusive and nonintrusive. Intrusive detection technologies include inductive loops, which are widely used for a 

variety of transportation applications. Non-intrusive detection technologies include microwave 

radar, active radar or laser, and video image processing. Table 15 describes the basic operations 

theory of an elected few intrusive and non-intrusive vehicle detection technologies, which were 

chosen in this study due to their widespread use compared to other technologies. Non-intrusive 

detection technologies have an advantage over intrusive detectors because they do not disrupt 

traffic flow during installation and maintenance and are highly reliable and flexible. These 

benefits have encouraged some transportation professionals to replace inductive loop detectors 

with non-intrusive detectors. Table 16 includes a brief description of strengths and weaknesses 

of inductive loop, microwave radar, laser, and video image processing-based vehicle detection 

technologies. 
50

Contract Number Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology

—

DTFH61-06-D-00007/T.O. Current and Future Concepts

Table 14. List of technology implementations to measure volume, wait times, and crossing times at various border crossings.

Location Proponents Technology Direction Vehicles Factors Measured Status

Blaine-Pacific Highway and 

Douglas (Peace Arch) crossings 

at the US-Canada border

BCMoT, WSDOT, IBI

Group, WCOG, TC, WED

Loop detectors + 

license plate 

reader

U.S.-bound and 

Canada-bound

Cars only, extending to 

trucks at Northbound 

Blaine crossing

Volume of vehicles, toll 

collection

Operational since 

2003

Sarnia, Ontario-Port Huron, 

Michigan MTO, Delcan, TC loop detectors U.S.-bound only Separate measures for cars and trucks Volume of vehicles End of 2008

LaColle, Quebec-Champlain, 

New York Tecsult, MTQ, SAAQ, TC Radar detectors U.S.-bound only Mixed traffic Volume of vehicles Spring 2008

Buffalo, New York-Niagara 

Falls, Ontario (three locations)

NYSDOT, NYSTA, MTO, 

NITTEC RFID U.S.-bound and 

Canada-bound

Mixed traffic, but 

planning to separate 

cars and trucks

Crossing times October 2008

Lynden and Sumas, 

Washington WSDOT License plate readers Canada-bound only Cars only Volume of vehicles, toll collection Summer 2008

Bluetooth Functionality Test TC (Ontario), TGT Bluetooth readers U.S.-bound and 

Canada-bound Cars only Crossing times Data collected since late 2006

GPS project at seven locations 

in Ontario and Quebec TC (Ontario), TGT, EBTC GPS logs U.S.-bound and Canada-bound Trucks only Crossing times Pilot ongoing since Spring 2006

El Paso, Texas-Mexico Bridge 

of the Americas FHWA, TTI/ Battelle RFID U.S.-bound only Trucks only Crossing times and wait times

Operational since 

2009

Pharr-Reynosa International 

Bridge TxDOT, TTI, City of Pharr RFID U.S.-bound only Trucks only Crossing times and wait times

Operational since 

2009

Mariposa-Nogales POE ADOT, TTI/ Battelle RFID U.S.-bound only Trucks only Crossing times and wait 

times 2011

San Ysidro, California Premier Wireless Video image 

processing U.S.-bound only Cars only Volume of vehicles, toll collection Discontinued in 2005

Douglas, Arizona-Mexico

Sentrillion (formally New 

Technology Management, 

Inc. or NTMI)

Video image 

processing U.S.-bound only Cars only Volume of vehicles, toll 

collection

No longer in 

operation

World Trade and Camino 

Colombia International Bridges TTI, TxDOT RFID U.S.-bound only Trucks only Crossing times End of 2010

Otay Mesa, California-Mexico FHWA, Delcan GPS U.S.-bound only Trucks only Crossing times Spring/Summer 2008

Adapted from: (62)

Note: MTO: Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, MTQ: Ministère des Transports du Quebec, SAAQ: Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, NYSDOT: New York 

State Department of Transportation, NYSTA: New York State Thruway Authority, NIITEC: Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition, TGT: Turnpike 

Global Technologies, EBTC: Eastern Border Transportation Coalition, NTMI: New Technology Management Inc., WED: Western Economic Diversification Canada
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 51 July 2012

Table 15. Basic operations theory of various vehicle detection technologies.

Technology Basic Operation Theory

Inductive 

Loops 

An inductive loop detector senses the presence of a conductive metal object by 

inducing electrical currents in the object. The induced current decreases the loop 

inductance, which is sensed by the inductive loop electronics unit. The electronics unit 

interprets the decreased inductance as vehicle detection and sends an appropriate call 

to the controller.

Microwave 

Radar

A microwave radar detectors transmits low-energy microwave radiation at the detection 

zone, and based on the frequency shift that results from relative motion between a 

frequency source and a listener, detects passing vehicles. The microwave radar 

detector measures this shift to determine vehicle passage and speed. 

Video Image 

Processing

A video image processing (VIP) detectors measure changes between successive video 

image frames. Passing vehicles cause variations in the gray levels of the black-andwhite pixel groups. VIP systems analyze these variations to determine vehicle 

passage. 

Laser 

A laser radar is an active sensor in that it transmits energy in the near infrared 

spectrum. This detector uses multiple laser diode sources to emit a number of fixed 

beams that cover the desired lane width. A laser radar provides vehicle presence at 

traffic signals, volume, speed, length assessment, queue measurement, and 

classification.

Source: (65).
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 52 July 2012

Table 16. Strengths and weaknesses of commercially available vehicle detection technologies.

Technology Strength Weakness

Inductive Loops • Has flexible design to satisfy large 

variety of applications.

• Offers mature, well-understood 

technology.

• Has large experience base.

• Provides basic traffic parameters (e.g., 

volume, presence, occupancy, speed, 

headway, and gap).

• Is insensitive to inclement weather such 

as rain, fog, and snow.

• Provides best accuracy for count data 

as compared with other commonly used 

techniques.

• Installation requires pavement cut.

• Improper installation decreases 

pavement life.

• Installation and maintenance 

require lane closure.

Microwave 

Radar

• Is typically insensitive to inclement 

weather at the relatively short ranges 

encountered in traffic management 

applications.

• Allows for direct measurement of 

speed.

• Has multiple lane operation available.

• Method cannot detect stopped 

vehicles.

Video Image 

Processing

• Monitors multiple lanes and multiple 

detection zones/lane.

• Is easy to add and modify detection 

zones.

• Has rich array of data available.

• Provides wide-area detection when 

information gathered at one camera 

location can be linked to another.

• Performance is affected by 

inclement weather such as fog, 

rain, and snow; vehicle shadows; 

vehicle projection into adjacent 

lanes; occlusion; day-to-night 

transition; vehicle/road contrast; 

and water, salt grime, icicles, and 

cobwebs on camera lens.

• Reliable nighttime signal actuation 

requires street lighting.

Laser • Transmits multiple beams for accurate 

measurement of vehicle position, 

speed, and class.

• Has multiple lane operation available.

• Operation may be affected by fog 

when visibility is less than 20 ft 

(6 m) or blowing snow is present. 

• Installation and maintenance, 

including periodic lens cleaning, 

require lane closure.

Source: (65).
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Final Report 53 July 2012

Non-intrusive vehicle detectors such as microwave, laser, and VIP are slowly replacing inductive 

loop detection technology. These detectors have gained a lot of market over the last 5 years, 

especially for freeway traffic operations and management. Many State agencies are replacing 

older inductive loop detectors with microwave radar detectors. Because microwave detectors 

stay on the side of the road and are non-intrusive, their maintenance cost is much lower than 

inductive loop detectors, which require lane closures and pavement removals during replacement 

and maintenance (66). Laser technology is relatively new compared to radar and is slowly 

gaining market for toll collection applications. 

Non-intrusive vehicle detection technology has improved significantly over the last few years as 

a result of increased demand for such technology. For example, in a report published by the 

University of Utah in 2003, the non-intrusive technologies rated lower, with the average level of 

satisfaction ranging from 2.8 to 3.4 out of 5, compared to inductive loops. This was mainly due 

to factors such as immature technology, lack of experience and familiarity with new 

technologies, complexity of the installation process, maintenance requirements, and expense 

(66). If a similar survey were to be undertaken now, the level of satisfaction for non-intrusive 

detectors may well rank higher than inductive loop detectors.

Direct hardware and software purchase costs are not the only costs associated with a sensor.

Installation, maintenance, and repair should also be factored into the sensor selection decision.

Installation costs include fully burdened costs for technicians to prepare the road surface or 

subsurface (for inductive loops or other surface or subsurface sensors), install the sensor and 

mounting structure (if one is required for over-roadway sensors), purchase and install conduit, 

close traffic lanes, divert traffic, provide safety measures where required, and verify proper 

functioning of the device after installation is complete. Table 17 includes data output, 

communication bandwidth, and the cost of commercially available vehicle detectors.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report 54 July 2012

Table 17. Traffic output data (typical), communications bandwidth, and cost of commercially 

available vehicle detectors.

Sensor 

Technology Count Presence Speed Output Data Classification

Multiple 

Lane, 

Multiple 

Detection 

Zone 

Data

Communication 

Bandwidth

Sensor 

Purchase 

Costa

(each in 

1999 

U.S. $)

Inductive 

loop Yes Yes Yes b Yes Yes c No Low to moderate

Low i

($500–

$800)

Microwave 

radar Yes Yes e Yes Yes e Yes e Yes e Moderate

Low to 

moderate 

($700–

$2,000)

Active 

infrared Yes Yes Yes f Yes Yes Yes Low to moderate

Moderate 

to high 

($6,500–

$3,300)

Passive 

infrared Yes Yes Yes f Yes No No Low to moderate

Low to 

moderate 

($700–

$1,200)

Video 

image 

processor

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Low to high h

Moderate 

to high 

($5,000–

$26,000)

Source: (65).

Notes:

a) Installation, maintenance, and repair costs must also be included to arrive at the true cost of a sensor solution, as 

discussed in the text.

b) Speed can be measured by using two sensors a known distance apart or estimated from one sensor, the effective 

detection zone, and vehicle lengths.

c) With specialized electronics unit containing embedded firmware that classifies vehicles.

d) With special sensor layouts and signal processing software.

e) With microwave radar sensors that transmit the proper waveform and have appropriate signal processing.

f) With multidetection zone passive or active mode infrared sensors.

g) With models that contain appropriate beam-forming and signal processing.

h) Depends on whether higher-bandwidth raw data, lower-bandwidth processed data, or video imagery is 

transmitted to the TMC.

i) Includes underground sensor and local detector or receiver electronics. Electronics options are available to

receive multiple sensors, multiple lane data.
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Final Report 55 July 2012

Table 18 compares the annualized per-lane cost for inductive loop detectors, VIPs, multiple 

detection zone presence-detecting microwave radar, and acoustic array sensors for a six-lane 

freeway sensor station. Motorist delay and excess fuel consumption incurred during installation 

further add to the annualized cost of the inductive loops (65).

Table 18. Annualized per-lane sensor cost comparison to instrument a six-lane

freeway sensor station.

Vehicle Detection Technology Number Required for 6 Lanes Expected 

Life

Annualized 

Cost

Inductive Loops 12 10 $746

Video Image Processor 2 cameras, 1 processor 10 $580

Microwave Radar 1 7 $314

Source: (65).

On the other hand, non-intrusive vehicle detection technologies have not been proven to provide 

better accuracy in the context of border crossings. It is believed that both technologies have 

significantly low operation and long-term maintenance benefits (67).

The cost of vehicle detectors mainly includes three components: sensor cost, which is the direct 

cost for purchasing the sensors from vendors; installation cost; and maintenance costs. However, 

a satisfactory cost comparison between various sensor technologies can only be made when the 

specific application is known (68). For example, a microwave presence radar mounted in a sidelooking configuration may perform other applications, such as simple monitoring of multilane 

freeway traffic flow or surface street vehicle presence and speed. In this case, the microwave 

sensors replace a greater number of loops that would otherwise need to be installed in the travel 

lanes. Furthermore, the microwave sensor potentially provides direct measurement of speed at a 

greater accuracy than that provided by the loops.

One of the most widely used methods of relaying wait times to users is through agency Web

sites, which are then further relayed by local media outlets such as radio and television stations. 

Some of these agencies also have a separate Web page with the same information for mobile 

users. A few agencies in California and Washington have integrated the wait-time information 

into their regional 5-1-1 systems and relay digitally prerecorded message with wait times. 

Agencies have also started to use Real Simple Syndicate (RSS) to “push” wait-time information. 

Through RSS, outside agencies can easily “pull” wait-time or any other information using open 

standards more efficiently. Because many agencies re-relay CBP-published wait-time 

information, the frequency of relay is the same as the one used by the CBP, which is hourly. 

Researchers found only two agencies that use social networking Web sites such as Twitter to 

relay wait-time information.

A user’s response to current wait times is at best subjective and anecdotal. There do not appear 

to be studies that have documented users’ responses to wait times in the short term. Were there 

to be, questions might include:
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Final Report 56 July 2012

• Do users set a preference for border crossings? 

• If they do, then what are the factors and threshold values of these factors that influence 

decisions to choose one border crossing over the other? 

For many users, the best strategy is to allocate “extra” time to cross the border based on past 

experience and historical occurrences of delay. This extra time is in fact what transportation 

engineers describe as the buffer time, which has a direct correlation with reliability of the waittime information received by the users. Longer buffer times by users indicate perceived 

unreliability of the information they are receiving (or have received) and lesser confidence that 

the wait time will improve prior to crossing the border. Scientific, reliable techniques to measure 

crossing and wait times will significantly decrease this lack of confidence, but it will take time to 

educate the users about the reliability of these techniques. 

How users react to en-route wait-time information relayed by field ITS devices such as VMSs

and local media is still unknown. In freeway operation and management, researchers have used 

focus group studies, interviews, and visual simulations to understand motorist behaviors in realtime traffic conditions. Similar studies might be helpful to understand users’ behavior to realtime information at border crossings. 

In addition, it is unclear which pre-trip and en-route information sources are comparatively more 

effective: CCTV snapshots compared to wait time for pre-trip information? Local media versus 

VMS messages for en-route information? Also, what would happen if a significant portion of 

users are sent the same information about current delay at one of the border crossings? Will all 

or a major portion of the users shift to another border crossing and in doing so increase the delay 

at the other one? Intuition and studies have shown that this is a likely scenario. So the question 

is how to provide targeted information to users and at the same time receive feedback on how the 

users are reacting to the information that is being provided to them. 

Level of Integration between Traffic Operations and Management Systems on 

Opposite Sides of the Border

Sharing of real-time data between agencies on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border has been 

nonexistent so far. None of the cities on the Mexican side of the border has deployed TMCs to 

manage and operate transportation systems including border crossings. However, SCT is 

planning to deploy several TMCs in the border region. Table 19 includes a list of border regions 

on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border that have existing and planned TMCs.
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Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 57 July 2012

Table 19. Existing and planned deployment of traffic management centers in cities around 

various border crossings.

Border Crossing Country TMC Location Agency Status

San Ysidro and Otay Mesa U.S. San Diego SANDAG Existing

San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Mexico Tijuana SCT Planned

Calexico East and West U.S. Calexico

Imperial Valley 

Association of 

Governments 

(IVAG*)

Planned

Mariposa-Nogales U.S. Tucson ADOT Existing

Santa Teresa U.S. Las Cruces NMDOT Planned

El Paso (Bridge of the 

Americas, Ysleta, Paso Del 

Norte)

U.S. El Paso TxDOT Existing

El Paso (BOTA, Ysleta, Paso 

Del Norte) Mexico Chihuahua City SCT Planned

Laredo (World Trade, Camino 

Colombia) U.S. Laredo TxDOT Existing

* Has plans to use SANDAG’s existing 5-1-1 system to relay border wait times.

SCT is going ahead with construction of regional TMCs in the cities of Monterrey and 

Chihuahua. The TMCs will monitor Mexican federal roadways and toll roads, many of which 

terminate at international border crossings. These TMCs will be able to operate ITS field 

devices deployed on roadways close to border crossings and provide ATIS information that will 

include traffic conditions on roadways as well as border crossings (48). In addition, the ITS 

system envisioned by SCT includes TMCs to be operated by toll concessionaires that will share 

real-time data with TMCs on the U.S. side of the border (49). Figure 7 shows a sample ITS 

design for sharing border-crossing-related data between U.S. and Mexican agencies in the 

Tijuana region. 

On the other hand, major cities on the U.S. side have one or more TMCs operated by the cities 

and/or States. City-operated TMCs mostly focus on local arterials, and the State-operated TMCs 

manage traffic on State-maintained highways and freeways. However, conversations with 

officials revealed that there has been little or no progress in sharing the TMC data with agencies 

in Mexico.
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Final Report 58 July 2012

Source: (49)

Figure 7. Flowchart describing proposed ITS operations at the Tijuana border region.

ITS architectures developed for border regions provide roadmaps to integrate transportation 

systems among agencies within the region and countries. ITS architectures typically identify 

stakeholder agencies and define roles and responsibilities that each agency plays in the region. 

In addition, the architecture identifies functions, market packages, equipment packages, and how 

agencies interface for specific purposes. It also includes current interfaces among agencies and 

ones that the region plans to implement in the future. Table 20 lists existing and planned 

interfaces between agencies on both sides of the border, as reflected in their corresponding 

regional ITS architectures. The list also demonstrates that stakeholders from individual regions 

have placed different priorities on interfacing with Mexican counterpart agencies.

Mexico’s National ITS Architecture was first drafted in 2005. The architecture coordinates the 

management and operation of various transportation facilities throughout Mexico and support 

personal and goods movements. The effort of development of the architecture was led by the 

SCT. The architecture provides a great deal of emphasis on standardization and harmonization 

of information exchange among Mexican and U.S. agencies at all levels. 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 59 July 2012

Table 20. Existing and future interface between agencies in the U.S. and Mexico in the ITS 

architecture for individual regions.

U.S. Border 

Region, State Interface Between Agencies on Both Sides of the Border Status

El Paso, Texas 

(69)

Includes Juarez IMIP as the only stakeholder from Mexico to 

exchange archived data with the El Paso MPO. Existing

Laredo, Texas 

(69)

The Regional ITS Architecture does not include stakeholders from 

Mexico.

Not 

Applicable

Pharr, Texas (69)

Includes Mexican EMAs as a stakeholder group and interfaces with 

TMCs operated by the cities of Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, 

Pharr, and TxDOT Pharr for emergency management.

Future

Las Cruces, New 

Mexico (70)

The Regional ITS Architecture does not include stakeholders from 

Mexico.

Not 

Applicable

New Mexico 

Statewide (71)

Includes Mexican Customs and Border Patrol, which represents the 

border patrol agency in Chihuahua, Mexico. 

Interfaces with NMDOT District 1 TOC and regional EOC for traffic 

incident management and disaster response and recovery,

respectively.

Future

Includes Mexico Public Safety, which represents public safety 

providers (police, fire, and Emergency Medical Services, or EMS) in 

Chihuahua, Mexico, and the surrounding Mexican States.

Interfaces with New Mexico Statewide EOC and regional EOCs for 

disaster response and recovery.

Interfaces with NM DPS Dispatch Center and NMDOT District 1 TOC 

for emergency call taking and dispatch and traffic incident 

management, respectively.

Future

Includes Mexico Regional TMC that represents the regional TMC

located in Chihuahua, Mexico, that would coordinate traffic 

information or operations with New Mexico. 

Interfaces with the NMDOT District 1 TOC to regional traffic control.

Future

Imperial County, 

California (72)

The Regional ITS Architecture does not include stakeholders from 

Mexico.

Not 

Applicable

Entire Mexico 

(49)

ITS design includes real-time information sharing between 

concessionaire’s TMC and State-operated ones in the U.S. along the 

border regions.

Future
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Final Report 60 July 2012

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Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 61 July 2012

CHAPTER 5. TRAVELER INFORMATION AND ARCHIVED 

DATA MANAGEMENT

TRAVELER INFORMATION

Traveler information allows travelers to choose the most efficient mode and route to their final 

destinations. Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) use ITS to provide timely and 

detailed information about traffic incidents, weather, construction, and special events to improve 

travel time predictability, allow drivers to make better choices, and reduce congestion. Traveler 

information applications use a variety of technologies, including Internet Web sites, telephone 

hotlines, and television and radio to allow users to make more informed decisions regarding trip 

departures, routes, and mode of travel (73). It is generally believed that traveler information 

systems are among the most cost-effective investments that a transportation agency can make 

(74). From a systems perspective, traveler information has the potential to reduce travel times, 

delay, fuel consumption, and emissions. From a motorist’s perspective, traveler information can 

increase efficiency of travel, relieve stress, and increase trip reliability.

Traveler information is divided into two categories: pre-trip and en-route. Pre-trip traveler 

information provided via Internet Web sites, other wireless devices, 5-1-1 telephone numbers, 

other telephone services, television, radio, or kiosks allows users to make a more informed 

decisions for trip departures, routes, and modes of travel. En-route traveler information provided 

via wireless devices, 5-1-1 telephone numbers, other telephone services, radio, and in-vehicle 

signing allows users to make informed decisions regarding alternate routes and expected arrival 

times.

Every State in the United States incorporates some form of traveler information on freeways, 

State highways, and arterials. Across the country, cities collect information with varying levels 

of sophistication, from simple Highway Patrol reports to complex systems of camera 

surveillance and electronic traffic sensors. Likewise, the means of disseminating the information 

varies. The most common methods of information dissemination are highway advisory radio

(HAR), VMSs, and telephone information services. A growing number of cities also provide 

Web/Internet sites and personal data assistant-type in-vehicle devices for traveler information 

(74).

With the growing number of systems being deployed at border crossings to measure crossing 

times and wait times, more and more State and regional agencies relay the information to 

motorists and commercial vehicle operators. The information typically includes wait times, 

crossing times, traffic conditions, and visual queue conditions around border crossings. These 

systems are able to relay information to traveling motorists and commercial vehicle operators as 

pre-trip and en-route information. 

Use of Variable Message Signs at and around Border Crossings

A quick review of agency Web sites and the literature review revealed that almost none of the 

agencies on the U.S.-Mexico border currently provide border-related information displayed on 

VMSs. Several agencies on the U.S.-Canada border provide queue warning and wait-time 

information through VMSs deployed at approaches leading to border crossings. Table 21
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Final Report 62 July 2012

includes a list of agencies on both the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders that have deployed 

either fixed or portable VMSs for the purposes of relaying information about border crossings.

Table 21. Deployment of VMSs by agencies for the purpose of relaying information about 

border crossings.

Agency Fixed Signs Portable Signs

Texas Department of Transportation (75), (76) Yes No

New Mexico Border Authority (77) No No

New Mexico Department of Transportation (78) No No

Arizona Department of Transportation (79) No No

SANDAG and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

(80) No No

Washington State Department of Transportation (81) Yes No

BCMoT (82) Yes No

New York State Department of Transportation (83) No No

Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (Peace Bridge) (84) Yes No

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (85) No No

Blue Water Bridge Canada (86) No No

Michigan Department of Transportation (87) No No

Montana Department of Transportation (88) No No

SCT (49) Planned No

However, SANDAG is planning to relay border-crossing information on SR-905, which provides 

an essential connection between the Otay Mesa border crossing with Mexico and the regional 

freeway system in California. This project will construct a six-lane freeway from I-805 to the 

Otay Mesa POE, the busiest commercial border crossing on the California-Mexico border. This 

project, along with the future Otay Mesa East POE and SR-11, will provide for efficient 

transportation of goods and services in the Otay Mesa border region. The first half of the sixlane freeway began construction in April 2008, and the remaining half began in June 2009.

This includes a 5-1-1 travel information system, fiber-optic communication traffic monitor 

systems, ramp meter systems, signals with video detection, CCTV systems, and VMSs all 

connecting to a base communication hub. A corridor management plan for the proposed SR-905 

project is intended to provide a unified, multimodal system management concept for managing 

and preserving freight mobility in the corridor (89).

Agencies planning to deploy VMSs for border crossings need to be aware that the efficiency of 

such deployment depends upon whether travelers understand the information correctly, how they 

value the usefulness of information, and whether they follow the suggested alternates. Studies 

have shown that the preferences on route switching increase with the information contents 

provided by the VMSs. When only qualitative information is provided through the VMS, the 

rates of switching routes are low. On the contrary, when a VMS provides guidance information, 

most travelers tend to switch because it is implied that the alternative routes are the best routes 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report 63 July 2012

(90). Whether a similar conclusion can be drawn for border crossings is a topic of future 

research—mainly because motorists do not have many choices when it comes to border 

crossings. 

In addition, an analysis of diversions for different incident messages showed that the number of 

diversions varied considerably according to incident circumstances. It is apparent that it is not 

only the severity of the problem reported that influences the level of diversions but also other 

factors such as the specific location mentioned and the availability of viable alternative routes to 

avoid the problem location. The results for route guidance information showed that substantial 

diversions occur when the route advice differs from normal.

Use of Social Networking Sites, Web Sites, and Mobile Devices

Almost all State DOTs, CBP, and CBSA relay border-crossing-related information using agency 

Web sites over the Internet. CBP and CBSA relay border wait times using RSS as well. State 

DOTs such as Washington and California relay border wait-time information using existing 5-1-

1 systems. On the U.S.-Mexico border, the only source of border wait times is the CBP since 

none of the border crossings is instrumented to measure wait times or crossing times, except the 

Bridge of the Americas and Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. On the U.S.-Canada border, 

even though the primary source of border wait times is CBSA, several privately operated bridges 

relay wait-time and crossing time information using technologies that are primarily used for toll 

collection. 

Table 22 lists agency use of social networking sites (SNSs), e-mail, and mobile devices by 

agencies to relay border crossing and wait times. Table 23 lists agencies that relay border 

crossing and wait times to motorists via Twitter. “Followers” mean individuals who have signed 

on to follow the tweets (messages) released by the agency. Without following the agency, 

individuals cannot receive or read tweets from the agency. “Listed” means the number of other 

Web sites that list the agency’s Twitter messages on their own Web site. The small number of 

current followers clearly indicates under-utilization or limited use of social media sites to receive 

traffic-related information.

CBP publishes wait times at all U.S.-Canada-Mexico border crossings. The information is 

updated every hour and includes the number of lanes open for FAST, non-FAST, SENTRI, and 

non-SENTRI; the maximum number of available lanes; and the name of the border crossing (35). 
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 64 July 2012

Table 22. Use of social networking sites, e-mail, and mobile devices by agencies to

relay border crossing and wait times.

Agency Facebook Twitter Email RSS 5-1-1 

System Web Site Mobile Apps

CBP (91) No No No Yes No Yes Yes

CBSA (92) No Yes No No No Yes Yes

SCT (49) No No No No Yes*** Yes*** Yes***

TxDOT (75), (76) No No No No No Yes* No

NMBA (77) No No No No No Yes* No

NMDOT (78) No No No No No No No

ADOT (79) No No No No Yes Yes Yes

SANDAG and Caltrans 

(80) No No No No Yes Yes* No

WSDOT (81) No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No

BCMoT (82) No No No No No Yes** No

NTDOT (83) No No No No No No No

Buffalo and Fort Erie 

Public Bridge Authority 

(Peace Bridge) (84)

No No No No No Yes Yes

Niagara Falls Bridge 

Commission (85) No Yes No No No Yes No

Blue Water Bridge 

Canada (86) No No No No No Yes No

Michigan Department of 

Transportation (MDOT) 

(87)

No No No No No No No

Montana Department of 

Transportation (MDT) 

(88)

No No No No No No No

* Same as CBP wait times; ** Same as CBSA wait times; *** Planned.

Table 23. Use of social networking site Twitter by agencies to

relay border crossing and wait times.

Agency Followers Listed

CBSA (92) 332 39

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission 822 36

Source: (85)
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report 65 July 2012

SNSs are Web-based services that allow individuals to (a) construct a public or semi-public 

profile within a bounded system, (b) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a 

connection, and (c) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within 

the system (93). Examples of these sites include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare. 

These Web sites are popular among the younger population who favor the Internet over 

traditional forms of media such as television, radio, and newspapers for news and information.

However, they are becoming increasingly popular among all users of the Internet. Government 

agencies, including several other State transportation departments, are using new media such as 

social networking sites to enhance their efforts to provide information to the public.

These sites function differently than standard Web pages and feature the consolidation of 

different information sources onto one page, often with information “pushed” to them. The sites 

generally require individuals to register and select sources they wish to “follow” with updates 

flowing to their social networking pages automatically. 

Social networking sites have dramatically altered how people interact and share information. 

Moreover, with the amount of time most drivers spend behind the wheel increasing along with 

traffic congestion, social networking will inevitably find its way into cars. It has already, when 

one considers the fact that some motorists feel compelled to update their status on a phone when 

they should be looking at the road (94).

Some companies are already developing interfaces that will allow motorists to receive audible 

tweets and Facebook status updates, as well as record their own by using voice control and 

steering wheel buttons. Similarly, location-aware applications could easily allow car owners to 

note their location and find where friends are via social networking sites like Foursquare. 

The car itself could even send tweets and “check in” at locations (94). 

Many State agencies including State DOTs publish real-time traffic information on these social 

networking sites, assuming that these sites allow wider dissemination of traffic information to 

motorists. There seems to be significant (latent) demand for personalized information services 

that would allow users to retrieve information when needed, to the point where a significant 

number of San Francisco Bay-area travelers stated they would be willing to pay either on a percall basis or a monthly subscription fee for a customizable service. However, the new 

information must be superior to the information that can be obtained for free through radio or 

television or other Internet outlets and services (95).

Being able to send messages regarding traffic conditions to mobile devices has come with mixed 

feelings. Safety experts and policymakers are wondering whether they are giving a mixed 

message to motorists regarding using mobile devices while driving. At least 22 States that ban 

texting while driving also offer motorist information services via Twitter. Those information 

services provide locations of road emergencies, traffic congestion reports, and more (96). Some 

supporters of text-messaging bans say that states that provide traffic information via Twitter are 

undermining these laws.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 66 July 2012

Agencies also use Internet Web sites, mobile devices, and SNSs to relay information regarding 

traffic conditions around border crossings. Compared to the U.S.-Mexico border, agencies on 

the U.S.-Canada border have deployed more ITS devices to relay such information to motorists. 

Table 24 lists agency use of Internet Web sites to relay traffic-related information around border 

crossings. The most prevalent information includes CCTV snapshots of queue conditions, colorcoded speed information, and location of recent incidents. These agencies also relay similar 

information through SNSs, RSS, email, and Web sites. Only a few State DOTs on the U.S. side 

of the Canadian border have integrated these systems with their statewide 5-1-1 system. On the 

U.S.-Mexico border, only SANDAG provides border-crossing-related information through its 

regional 511 system. 

Table 25 lists use of social networking sites, email, the 5-1-1 system, and mobile devices by 

agencies to relay traffic conditions around border crossings. Figure 8 shows a snapshot of 

SANDAG’s 5-1-1 system Web site. Figure 9 illustrates a proposed countrywide 5-1-1-type 

system being developed by the SCT.

Table 24. Use of Web sites by agencies to relay traffic conditions around border crossings.

Agency CCTV 

Snapshots

Color-Coded 

Speed 

Information

Textual 

Speed 

Information

Incident 

Location

CBP Not 

Applicable

Not Applicable Not Applicable Not 

Applicable

CBSA Not 

Applicable

Not Applicable Not Applicable Not 

Applicable

SCT (49) Yes* Yes* Yes* Yes*

TxDOT (75), (76) Yes Yes Yes Yes

NMBA (77) No No No No

NMDOT (77) No No No Yes

ADOT (79) No No No Yes

SANDAG and Caltrans (80) No Yes Yes Yes

WSDOT (81) Yes Yes Yes Yes

BCMoT (82) Yes Yes Yes No

NYDOT (83) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge 

Authority (Peace Bridge) (84) Yes No No No

Niagara Falls Bridge Commission (85) Yes No No No

Blue Water Bridge Canada (86) Yes No No No

MDOT (87) Yes Yes Yes Yes

MDT (88) No No No Yes

Note: * Planned
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report 67 July 2012

Table 25. Use of social networking sites, email, and mobile devices by agencies to

relay traffic conditions around border crossings.

Agency Facebook Twitter Email RSS 5-1-1 

System Web Site

TxDOT (75), (76) No Yes Yes No No Yes

NMBA (77) No No No No No No

NMDOT (77) No No No No Yes Yes

ADOT (79) No No No No Yes Yes

SANDAG and Caltrans (80) No No No No Yes Yes

WSDOT (81) No No Yes No Yes Yes

BCMoT (82) No No No No Yes No

NYDOT (83) No No No No Yes Yes

Buffalo and Fort Erie Public 

Bridge Authority (Peace Bridge) 

(84)

No No No No No Yes

Niagara Falls Bridge 

Commission (85) No No No No No Yes

Blue Water Bridge Canada (86) No No No No No Yes

MDOT (87) No No No No No Yes

MDT (88) No Yes No Yes Yes Yes

SCT (49) No No No No Yes* Yes*

* Planned only on toll roads leading to and from international border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Source: (97)

Figure 8. Screen Snapshots of the San Diego-area 5-1-1 system.
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

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Final Report 68 July 2012

Source: (49)

Figure 9. Screen snapshots of the planned nationwide 5-1-1 traveler information system 

in Mexico.

Effectiveness of Traveler Information at Border Crossings

The literature review revealed that effectiveness of traveler information at and around border 

crossings has not been studied. Past studies have focused on its effectiveness on urban freeways 

and arterials only. However, conclusions similar to the ones drawn for urban freeways can be 

applied to border crossings. From these past studies, a general consensus is that motorists use 

traveler information to the extent that they perceive it to deliver reliable, resourceful, and 

relevant information (98).

In a study performed among Seattle-area travelers, researchers found that the use of advanced 

traveler information is fairly uncommon, with travelers seeking information on only 10 percent 

of their trips and making a change in response to information on less than 1 percent of their trips. 

Information sources included radio, television, Web sites, and VMSs (99). As to why travelers 

often do not seek any information in the first place, this seems most closely tied to trip 

characteristics. Simulation models of traveler information usage suggest that the overall user 

benefit to consulting traveler information is quite modest, but that information can be of great 

value for certain types of trips, particularly those of high traffic variability and time sensitivity. 

When an attempt is made to consult information, no information may be available for the trip in 

question, or it may not be detailed or accurate enough to be useful in making decisions. Even 

when learning of delays, travelers may have (or feel that they have) no real alternatives for 

changing their trip or route. 

A similar study comparing responses from motorists in Seattle and Los Angeles to online traffic 

information also revealed that location matters, as motorists in Los Angeles experience 

significantly longer commutes and greater congestion and volatility in traffic conditions. While 
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motorists in both regions gave positive assessments of the traffic Web sites, Seattle respondents 

were more enthusiastic. On several dimensions, Seattle respondents expressed more intense 

support for their site. Moreover, Seattle motorists were more likely to benefit from the service, 

with greater numbers agreeing that online traffic information saved them time and reduced the 

stress of traveling. An analysis of the data indicates that underlying traffic conditions in the two 

regions bear greatly on customers’ responses to the service. The greater congestion and 

volatility in Los Angeles increase motorists’ demand for up-to-the-minute information and 

undermine customers’ expectation that any information service can provide much relief (100). 

One of the interesting findings from both studies is that television and radio remain the 

predominant sources of traffic information—even though Internet and mobile devices have 

become so ubiquitous and pervasive.

In a survey performed among Seattle-area travelers, researchers found that less than half of the 

respondents were aware of the fact that traffic information was available through Internet Web

sites and only 22 percent had used the service, while more than 95 percent of the respondents 

were aware of similar traffic information being provided by television and radio, and more than 

60 percent used one or both information sources (99). Hence, it would be safe to say that the 

majority of travelers at present probably use radio and television to obtain information about 

border crossings rather than Internet or mobile devices. Quantification of effectiveness of 

providing advanced traveler information about border crossings, both pre-trip and en-route, is 

still elusive even though its benefit is not doubtful.

ARCHIVED DATA MANAGEMENT

One of the features of an ITS is the large amount of data it produces. Archived ITS data have a 

tremendous value in planning infrastructure, measuring performance, and evaluating strategies 

and management decisions. However, archived ITS data are greatly underutilized by agencies,

mostly due to complex data transformation (hence, the cost and labor) required to convert the 

data into usable information. It is important to note that the archived data should not be limited 

to the data collected by ITS at the border but should also include data collected using non-ITS 

methods such as intercept surveys and manual data collection.

A centralized repository of archived data would significantly reduce data redundancy, reduce 

data collection and storage cost, and increase efficiency of data retrieval. A centralized 

repository would also be responsible for maintaining and updating the data on behalf of all 

participating stakeholders. As Figure 10 illustrates, a proposed border-crossing information 

system should provide a centralized repository of archived data and enhance the data by 

aggregating in different spatial and temporal granularity (55). In addition, users can obtain 

archived data from a single repository instead of multiple agencies, thereby reducing overall cost 

and increasing efficiency of data retrieval.
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Source: (55)

Figure 10. Diagram depicting the proposed centralized repository of

archived border-crossing data.

Use of Archived ITS Data for Border Infrastructure Planning and Operation

It is well-known that archived border-crossing data are used by private and public agencies with 

responsibilities to plan, operate, and manage border-crossing infrastructure. However, limited 

studies have been performed to document how agencies archive and use archived ITS data for 

planning and operational purposes. Archived data are then used by agencies, such as 

metropolitan planning organizations, city agencies, CBP, and the General Services 

Administration (GSA), to plan future infrastructure improvements and manage resources to 

operate border crossings efficiently. Private travelers, freight shippers, and carriers may use the 

archived data in limited scope. 

Local and regional agencies such as metropolitan planning agencies use archived border-crossing 

data, especially volume, to develop near- and long-term regional travel demand models. In these 

models, border crossings are treated as external zones. Table 26 lists agency use of archived 

border-crossing data. 

Interviews with several MPO personnel revealed that MPOs’ need for highly granular bordercrossing data is unmatched by other types of State and local agencies. MPOs’ use of archived 

data for demand modeling ranges from hourly volume to annual volume trends. They also use 

hourly volumes for model calibration, which is crucial for simulation of traffic around border 

crossings. MPOs, however, do not have access to continuously accessible finely granular data 

and have to rely on short project studies to obtain such data. In addition to volume of vehicles in 

both directions, MPOs also need information such as queue lengths, wait times, and crossing 

times. This information is normally obtained by a short period of data collection at the border.
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In addition, none of the agencies listed in Table 26 has developed specifications and 

requirements for archived border-crossing data in terms of accuracy, reliability, scope, and 

usability.

Table 26. Use of archived border-crossing data by agencies.

Agency Current Application Data Types 

Archived

Data Types 

Required for 

Archival

Future 

Applications

TxDOT (50)

Project-driven 

studies, project 

planning, funding 

requests

Monthly volume

of northbound 

vehicles

Smaller temporal 

granularity 

volume, wait 

times, crossing 

times

Project-driven 

studies

El Paso MPO (53)

Project-driven 

studies, saturation 

counts for travel 

demand modeling

Monthly volume 

of northbound 

vehicles

Smaller temporal 

granularity 

volume, wait 

times, crossing 

times

Identification of 

peak periods for 

calibration of 

travel demand 

models

IMIP Not available Not available Not available Not available

NMBA (101)

Project-driven 

studies, project 

planning, funding 

requests

Daily, weekly, 

monthly volume 

of northbound 

vehicles

Wait times, 

crossing times

Project-driven 

studies

Las Cruces MPO

(101)

Project-driven 

studies, saturation 

counts for travel 

demand modeling

Monthly volume 

of northbound 

vehicles

Wait times, 

crossing times

Project-driven 

studies

NMDOT (101) Project-driven 

studies

Monthly volume 

of northbound 

vehicles

Wait times, 

crossing times

Project-driven 

studies

ADOT Not available Not available Not available Not available

SANDAG Not available Not available Not available Not available

Caltrans Not available Not available Not available Not available

SCAG Not available Not available Not available Not available

Note: SCAG: Southern California Association of Governments

The deployment of ITS at border crossings has increased the possibility of collecting bordercrossing-related data to support a set of performance measures and ultimately a performance 

management process for evaluating and improving international border crossings for freight as 

well as passenger movement. Such performance measures apply to:

• Compare border-crossing performance nationally. 

• Take into account local operation of crossings. 

• Derive from a system to provide travel time information to travelers and shippers. 

• Apply archived travel time data and travel time reliability information. 

• Consider causal data that explain the differences in travel time.
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• Reflect changes in operating practices and infrastructure at individual crossings. 

The unique elements of the border-crossing system mean that the performance measure must 

satisfy the typical measurement requirements as well as several factors, as described earlier. 

Given the wide range and diversity of available measures, it is important to have a clear basis for 

assessing and comparing border-crossing performance measures. However, collection and 

estimation of border-crossing performance measurement indices should consider the following:

• Performance measures should be calculated from operational and policy data that are 

collected as part of daily operations.

• Performance measures should be consistent with the procedures used by all three 

countries at the international borders.

• The levels of performance are perceived differently by shippers, manufacturers, crossing 

operators, and inspection agencies. Thus, statistics should be relevant for the variety of 

audiences. This will require that the measurement base lines or comparison standards be 

evident or easily communicated.

• Changes in designs, demand, and operating procedures at individual border crossings 

should be reflected in the performance measure.

• Estimation of performance measures should be independent of the data collection 

technology used to collect travel-time-related parameters.

One of the major parameters to measure performance at border crossings should be related to 

travel time for both freight and passenger movement, which would be a basis for establishing 

common indices to compare performances of border crossings throughout the U.S.-Mexico and 

U.S.-Canada borders, irrespective of characteristics of individual crossings. 

However, the literature review and the subsequent interviews with officials from various 

agencies revealed that none of the transportation agencies in border regions has adopted 

performance measures at border crossings. Most agencies use annual volume trend as a de facto 

performance measure. These agencies did express interest in adopting travel-time-based 

performance measures of border crossings if such data were available. 

Existing and Planned Sources of Archived Border ITS Data

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) maintains a centralized repository of bordercrossing-related data, which can be accessed through a public-domain Web site. Tables 27

through 29 lists type and scope of border-crossing-related data for commercial vehicles, 

passenger vehicles, and transit and pedestrians respectively, provided by the BTS. However, 

data available from the BTS are highly aggregated (monthly and annually) by port group instead 

of by individual border crossing. For example, border wait times at POEs (collected by the CBP) 

available from the BTS are averaged monthly for a particular port group. In a port group, there 

may be some crossings that are rarely congested and some that are almost always congested. 

Also, from an operational standpoint, monthly averages of border wait times are not useful and 

lack information such as hourly fluctuations. In addition, agencies such as MPOs that analyze 

the impact of border-crossing trends to plan for short- and long-term infrastructure improvements 
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require highly disaggregated border-crossing data in terms of type of transportation modes and

vehicle entry programs. Highly aggregated data are not adequate for these agencies to 

understand hourly and daily trends at individual border crossings.

Table 27. Type and scope of commercial vehicle border-crossing-related data

available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Type of Data Data Scope

Volume Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

HAZMAT Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

Travel Time of Segments Entering and Exiting 

POE Not available

Number of Trips and Average Travel Time of Trips 

within the Region Not available

Distribution of Ultimate Origin-Destinations of 

Trucks Not available

Export and Import Value by Origin Port and 

Destination State

Monthly and yearly total data for each POE

starting in 1994

Export and Import Volume by Origin Port and 

Destination State

Monthly and yearly total data for each POE

starting in 1994

Import and Export Value by Commodity and Mode Monthly and yearly total data for each POE

starting in 1994

Table 28. Type and scope of passenger vehicle border-crossing-related data

available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Type of Data Data Scope

Volume Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

Travel Time of Segments Entering and Exiting 

POE Not available

Vehicle Occupancy Not available

POE Preference Not available

Length of Stay Not available

Frequency of Trips Not available
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Table 29. Type and scope of transit and pedestrian border-crossing-related data

available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Type of Data Data Scope

Volume Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

Trip Purpose Not available

Frequency of Trips Not available

North and Southbound Volume Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

North and Southbound Bus Passengers Only northbound monthly and yearly total data for 

each POE starting in 1994

In 2003, both the BCMoT and WSDOT installed Advanced Traveler Information Systems 

(ATISs) for passenger cars at the Blaine-Pacific Highway and Douglas (Peace Arch) border 

crossings. The systems use loop detectors to estimate the wait times for cars crossing the border 

in both directions. The collected data are archived and available online at

http://www.cascadegatewaydata.com/. Measures of delay, queue length, number of vehicles in 

the queue, traffic volume, and number of vehicles departing the queue per five minutes can be 

viewed online or downloaded for further analysis (64). The archived data are aggregated into 

different temporal granularities such as hourly, daily, and monthly.

Technical Issues Related to Border ITS Data Archiving

Agency Deployment of Border-Crossing Data Archive 

Archived data in ITSs refers to the systematic retention and re-use of transportation data 

generated for various purposes (102). Data archiving is also referred to as data warehousing or 

operations data archiving. Sensors and detectors used in ITS deployments produce a huge 

amount of data, which have to be converted into information for effective use of the data. To 

achieve this, the raw data have to be archived, filtered, and aggregated into useful information. 

Only then can archived data be used in managing existing and planning future infrastructure. 

The widespread deployment of vehicle detectors and sensors by State and local DOTs has 

created a massive amount of raw data. Agencies mostly use the aggregated data, such as daily 

and annual volume of vehicles, for project design, studies, and other planning purposes. 

However, archived data have many other benefits, such as real-time operation of transportation 

infrastructure, real-time decision making, performance evaluation monitoring, environmental 

analysis, and theoretical research. Even though these benefits are obvious to the agencies, very 

few of them have implemented a well-structured data archiving program. While deploying ITS, 

many agencies do not prioritize archived data and mostly focus on operational benefits of realtime data. There are several reasons why agencies do so:
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• Agencies are mostly focused on day-to-day operations and do not see the utility of 

archiving the raw data (102).

• Planning/decision-making bodies of agencies are not familiar with ITS deployments and 

their products and thus may not know the full extent of the benefits of archived data or 

the capabilities they offer.

• There are limited resources to operate and maintain archived data.

• Most importantly, agency personnel are not fully aware of strengths and benefits of 

archived ITS data. 

Development and maintenance of a border-crossing data warehouse, whether small or large,

requires highly skilled resources, continuous funding, and – most of all – support from the 

stakeholders. 

Existing and Planned Border-Crossing Data Warehouses

One of the earliest deployments of archived border-crossing data was implemented by the 

Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) in 2002. The system is referred to as the Cascade 

Gateway Border Data Warehouse and was designed to archive real-time traffic data from the 

Cascade Gateway system of border crossings on the U.S.-Canada border (64). The archived data 

in the data warehouse is managed by the WCOG. ITS data are supplied to the data warehouse by 

the BCMoT on the Canadian side and WSDOT on the U.S. side. Both agencies operate 

independent systems, which include a series of inductive loop detectors. The data from them are

used to calculate traffic volumes and arrival rates and estimate wait times of passenger vehicles. 

One of the challenges facing the Cascade Gateway Data Warehouse has been retaining highly 

skilled database administration and software developers to maintain the warehouse.

The Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research at TTI developed the Paso Del 

Norte Regional Mobility Information System (PDN-RMIS), which has been in operation since 

2007 (103). The system not only provides real-time traffic conditions and border-crossing 

information to motorists in the El Paso region but also provides archived data from various ITS 

devices deployed in the region. The system archives border-wait-time-related data relayed by

the CBP. The data include delay and number of lanes open for commercial and passenger 

vehicles. The system also archives external information such as weather, daily exchange rate, 

messages relayed by VMSs, and incident locations.

TTI, with funding from the FHWA, is developing a separate archived data warehouse that will 

include crossing and wait-time data from various ITS deployments on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The information system is named the Border Crossing Information System (BCIS).

Table 30 includes types of data, spatial and temporal granularity, and data storage-related 

information from the above-mentioned data warehouses.
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Table 30. Type and scope of border-crossing-related data currently archived.

Agency Data Type Spatial 

Granularity

Temporal 

Granularity

Level of Data 

Filtering and 

Aggregation

Data 

Storage 

Medium

Frequency 

of Data 

Retrieval

Archived in 

Database or 

Flat Files

Frequency 

of Data 

Purging

PDN-RMIS

(103)

Wait times relayed 

by CBP, exchange 

rate, weather

Crossing, 

lane type, 

vehicle type

Hour Not filtered,

aggregated

Hard drive 

inside 

servers

Every 15 

minutes Database

No 

established 

policy, raw 

data have

never been 

purged

WCOG (64)

Departure rate, 

volume, queue 

length, delay, wait 

time for personal 

vehicle and 

commercial vehicle

Crossing, 

detector, 

lane, route, 

direction 

Minutes, 

hour, day, 

month, year

Aggregation 

includes 

summation, 

average, 

minimum, 

maximum, 

standard

development

Hard drive 

inside 

servers

Five-minute 

increment 

data sent by 

BCMoT and 

WSDOT

Database

No 

established 

policy
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Temporal and Spatial Granularity

Granularity refers to the level of detail of the data archived. High granularity refers to data that 

are at or near the transaction level or raw data. Low granularity refers to data that are 

summarized or aggregated. Granularity of archived data is directly proportional to the size of the 

data warehouse and thus the cost of maintaining the system. The higher the granularity, the more 

storage space required to archive the data. In addition, the higher the granularity, the more rows 

(records) that constitute tables, results in additional storage requirements with impact on 

performance. 

Data warehouses mentioned above store data in various temporal granularities—mostly in 

minutes, hours, days, months, and years. However, there are no guidelines and standard 

procedures regarding granularities of the archived data. In most cases, the decision to create and 

maintain certain levels of temporal granularity of data depends on aggregated data needs. For 

example, for many traffic studies, vehicle volume is required at 15- and 60-minute periods. Raw 

data from vehicle sensors often come in less than 1-minute packets (i.e., aggregated in less than 

1 minute), which is used to create 15-minute and 60-minute data. Thus, the data warehouse 

includes multiple levels of temporal granularities because there is computing overload if 1- or 

15-minute data are used every time users query for 60-minute data. 

The raw data as they are archived represent the highest granularity in terms of space (i.e., spatial 

granularity). For example, data from one or more detectors from a single location represent the 

highest granularity data. Data from more than one location can be aggregated to obtain 

information about longer roadway segments. In terms of border crossings, the smallest spatial 

granularity should be an individual border crossing, and the highest should be individual lane 

type (e.g., SENTRI or FAST). The Cascade Gateway Data Warehouse archives vehicle detector 

data by individual detector, lane, route, and direction and wait times by individual lane type, 

direction, and border crossing.

Size and Scope of ITS Data

Archived data should be most preferably implemented in a data warehouse architecture. This 

allows systematic retention, processing, and management of a large amount of ITS data. This 

will also allow multiple types of border-related data to be stored in a relational database 

structure. For example, wait times and crossing times of vehicles can be related to volume of 

vehicles and external factors such as fuel prices and exchange rates. A data warehouse 

architecture is suitable to archive voluminous data and is not suitable to store transactional data 

that need to be accessed by hundreds of users at the same time for their daily work. The Cascade 

Gateway Data Warehouse and Paso Del Norte Regional Mobility Information System (PDNRMIS) have grown significantly in size. 

All of the above-mentioned data warehouses do not have policies to limit the scope of ITS data 

to be archived. Depending on availability of resources to manage the data warehouse and the 

ability to acquire storage space size and scope of ITSs, the amount of data is not of great 

concern. However, the data should be the ones that can be used to measure operational 

performance of border crossings. 
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Latest generation database servers allow storage of geospatial data and allow users to perform 

spatial query. GPS data from vehicles can be easily archived and processed to obtain borderrelated information and related with data from other ITS devices. 

Data Filtering and Aggregation

Data filtering is crucial to impose appropriate quality control over the data. Data filtering needs 

to occur at different levels of aggregation and should include removal and reporting of erroneous 

data, imputation or removal of missing data, and removal of inaccurate data. Causes of 

erroneous/missing/inaccurate data occur very frequently and are mostly due to such things as 

equipment failures, telecommunication failures, and equipment calibration errors.

Many ITS devices can sense equipment errors and have capabilities to flag such errors along 

with the data that are transferred. These errors are easy to identify and remove prior to further 

aggregating. Correcting missing data due to equipment and telecommunication failure can be 

easy or extremely complex and depends on the span for which the data are lost. It is preferable 

to define algorithms to impute missing data and have them implemented in the data warehouse. 

Identifying systematically produced inaccurate data due to equipment calibration errors is 

difficult early on because the data may have very subtle differences from the true data. In such 

cases, it will be difficult to flag the raw data as erroneous. Business intelligence tools are used to 

identify subtle differences in raw and aggregated data. 

On the other hand, quick notification of an erroneous data stream to the system administrator will 

help identify hardware- and software-related problems. Thus, mechanisms should be put in 

place to notify the system administrator if erroneous data are coming from field devices or if 

failure of hardware/software occurs. One should bear in mind that sizable resources are required 

to establish robust filtering algorithms in the data warehouse.

In the end, all archived data user services should have mechanisms to report quality of data that 

are relayed to the end users. 

Data aggregation depends on the need for different levels of spatial and temporal granularity. 

Typically, algorithms should be included in the data warehouse to periodically aggregate the data 

(at pre-defined time intervals), or algorithms should be triggered when new data enter the data 

warehouse. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages and trade-offs in the form of 

performance and computing overhead. 

Data aggregation at predefined times should be performed when the system is not being used 

heavily, such as nighttime or off-peak periods. If the aggregation requires processing a huge 

number of records, this technique is also efficient. Publishing daily, weekly, or monthly data can 

be done with some time lag, and the algorithm does not need to run every time new data enter the 

database. On the other hand, publishing real-time information such as current crossing time or 

predicted crossing time for next hour aggregation and processing of data should take place as 

soon as new data become available.
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Data Storage Management

One of the greater concerns of archived data is to determine the length of time data need to be 

archived and the threshold for physical size archive. The length of time data are stored is 

obviously dependent on the temporal granularity of data, which has an impact on the record size 

and storage space. Smaller granularity data require less storage space compared to raw data. 

However, a database with raw data that have grown substantially over the years poses 

performance-related problems. Thus, two things need to happen: development of policies to 

purge raw data after a certain time has elapsed and/or movement of the raw data to a separate and 

independent physical storage medium (e.g., DVD or magnetic tapes). However, there is 

reluctance in purging raw data due to fear of losing aggregated data. Maintaining only 

aggregated data in the core database will undoubtedly result in improved performance, especially 

when end users query the data. 
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CHAPTER 6. INVENTORY OF ITS PROJECTS ON THE U.S.-

MEXICO BORDER REGIONS

The objective of this chapter is to develop an inventory of ITS projects on the U.S.-Mexico 

border. These projects include ITS studies and deployments. The ITS projects also include 

deployment projects that are part of larger highway construction projects. It is intended that the 

inventory will assist readers of this report to gain an understanding of ITS projects being 

developed at regions other than their own and will assist them in planning, procuring, and 

constructing ITS projects. The inventory, however, does not include ITS-related research being 

performed by academics. ITS projects are divided into the three following categories:

• Projects under construction: This includes ITS deployments that have already been let or 

contracted and are under construction.

• Projects being procured: This includes ITS deployments that are being procured.

• Projects under consideration: This includes ITS deployments that are being planned or 

conceptualized by border regions. 

• Projects being studied: This includes studies being performed by Government agencies at 

all levels to plan and deploy ITSs. These studies include feasibility studies, design 

studies, and technology development, standards, and protocol studies.

PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Various Border Wait-Time Measurement Projects in Texas 

Bridge of the Americas, El Paso

In 2006, FHWA initiated Part I of Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the U.S.-

Mexico Border. This project was among the first steps in the current process to automate 

measurement of crossing times. Technology candidates were screened for their applicability to 

automate the crossing time measurement process. In order to measure travel time and the 

associated delay, the chosen technology needed to be flexible enough to cover the complete trip 

and be applicable at all POEs. The technology considered most appropriate for the intended 

purpose was AVI using passive RFID. 

In 2007, FHWA began Part II of Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the U.S.-

Mexico Border. For this part of the research, FHWA initiated two projects, one of which 

became the deployment of RFID at the Bridge of the Americas land border crossing between 

El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. This project initially implemented two RFID reader stations with an 

algorithm designed to only measure crossing time. The automated crossing time measurement 

system became operational in July 2009.

In January 2010, FHWA internally sent forward a recommendation for CBP and GSA approval 

of a permit for RFID installation at the primary inspection facility locations at two Texas land 

border crossings—BOTA and Pharr-Reynosa—where crossing time data were already being 

automatically measured using RFID. That recommendation was accepted by GSA. FHWA 
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subsequently proceeded to have RFID equipment that would enable the measurement of border 

wait time installed at both the BOTA and Pharr-Reynosa CBP primary inspection facilities.

In addition to incorporating more RFID reader stations at Pharr and BOTA, the modification 

included (among other tasking) development of (a) a guidebook for analysis and dissemination 

of border-crossing time and wait-time data, (b) step-by-step guidelines for implementing RFID 

to measure border wait and crossing times, and (c) a prototype Web tool with design 

documentation and specifications and supporting user guidance and demonstration. 

Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, Pharr

The objective of the deployment was to install and implement RFID technology to measure 

border-crossing time and travel delay for commercial trucks crossing from Mexico into Texas at 

the Pharr-Reynosa border crossing. Based on feedback from the stakeholder meeting and the 

definition of the number and location of RFID reading stations, the concept of operations 

(ConOps) that was previously developed under the FHWA BOTA project was modified to meet 

the Pharr-Reynosa border-crossing time measurement requirements. The deployment of the 

RFID readers and other communication equipment was completed in October 2009. Since then, 

the system has been collecting tag identification data from northbound trucks entering the United 

States and sending them to a central server in El Paso.

Camino Colombia and World Trade Bridge, Laredo

The objective of the deployment was to install and implement RFID technology to measure 

border-crossing time and travel delay for commercial trucks crossing from Mexico into Texas at 

the Camino Columbia and World Trade Bridge border crossings. The design of the RFID 

systems is similar to the ones developed for the Pharr-Reynosa and BOTA border crossings. The 

deployment of the RFID readers and other communication equipment will commence in 2011. 

Border Waits Analysis Project in Nogales, Arizona

The overall goal of this project is to install a system that automatically and accurately measures 

border wait times (i.e., “border waits analysis”) for northbound commercial freight vehicles 

crossing the U.S.-Mexico border at the Mariposa POE in Nogales, Arizona-Sonora. The 

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has identified two main objectives in order to meet the 

overall goal of this project. The first involves selecting one or more appropriate technology(ies) 

for the proposed border waits analysis system, and RFID has been chosen as the technology to be 

used. The second consists of implementing the system itself. It has been determined that data 

shared from ADOT’s EPIC system at the Mariposa POE will enable processing of crossing time 

data as well. Once the selected technology system has been implemented for the Mariposa POE, 

both border crossing and wait-time data will be collected and disseminated to all stakeholders 

involved in the border-crossing process at the Mariposa POE. Coordination with the regional 

stakeholders has taken place to help develop the appropriate design and implementation plans. 

State Route 905/Otay Mesa POE, San Diego Region

SR-905 provides essential connection between the Otay Mesa POE with Mexico and the regional 

freeway system in California. This project will construct a six-lane freeway from I-805 to the 

busiest commercial border crossing on the California-Mexico border (89). This project, along 
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with the future Otay Mesa East POE and State Route 11, will provide for efficient transportation 

of goods and services in the Otay Mesa border region.

The project includes a 5-1-1 travel information system, fiber-optic communication traffic 

monitor systems, ramp meter systems, video detection signals, CCTV systems, and VMSs, all 

connecting to a base communication hub.

A corridor management plan for the SR-905 project is intended to provide a unified, multimodal 

system management concept for managing and preserving freight mobility in the corridor. When 

fully implemented, the project will incorporate ITS technologies to help manage demand and 

efficiency of the corridor. ITS improvements will provide a safer and more reliable route, 

helping to minimize accidents that can cause non-recurrent congestion and delays.

Caltrans and SANDAG have also implemented the Freeway Performance Monitoring System 

(PeMS) in the San Diego region. PeMS provides a robust source of data that enables monitoring 

of the performance of individual transportation corridors as well as the overall system. Emphasis 

is placed on assessing and identifying portions of the corridor/system that are not performing 

optimally. With the inclusion of SR-905 data in PeMS, ongoing operations of the corridor can 

be monitored so that problems can be addressed early on in order to preserve long-term corridor 

mobility.

PROJECTS BEING PROCURED

ITS Pre-Deployment Strategy for SR-11 and the Otay Mesa East POE

SANDAG and Caltrans, in cooperation with the GSA and other project stakeholders, are 

proposing to develop the new cross-border facility and the associated transportation facility, 

SR-11, as a state-of-the-art border-crossing facility. The new facility will be located 

approximately 2 miles east of the existing Otay Mesa POE and will create a third border crossing

along the San Diego region’s border with Tijuana. Mexican government agencies are advancing 

Mesa de Otay II, the Mexican side of the cross-border facility, and associated transportation 

routes.

SANDAG and Caltrans are pursuing multiple objectives with the new POE, including:

• Building additional physical capacity at the border; maximizing the efficiency of the new 

facility by using state-of-the-art ITSs and innovative operating concepts.

• Introducing a toll-pricing model at the border that is based on wait/crossing time and 

focused on congestion management and emissions reduction at the border.

• Developing the project as a national model of public/public partnering.

• Designing a project that exemplifies both environmental and economic stewardship.

SANDAG was awarded ITS funding to create a comprehensive ITS pre-deployment strategy, 

which will evaluate ITS technologies to facilitate a bi-national ITS concept of operations that

includes technology options to enable variable toll rates, advanced traveler information, state-of 
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the-art toll collection technologies, enhanced border operations, and new institutional 

relationships to accelerate and optimize deployment.

SANDAG has retained a bi-national consulting group to develop ITS pre-deployment strategies

and subsequent oversight activities for implementation phases for the proposed new Otay Mesa 

East POE and the connecting SR-11. 

PROJECTS UNDER CONSIDERATION

San Ysidro POE, San Diego Region

This project first proposes a people-moving system to replace the existing pedestrian bridge over 

Interstate 5 that will be removed as part of the GSA reconfiguration project (104). This peoplemoving system should integrate state-of-the-art traveler information, border-crossing

information, and commercial advertising space.

In addition to a 5-1-1 system, the project also envisions an integrated smart parking approach. 

Parking at the border must first promote use of mass transit, but smart parking strategies can also 

capture revenues from those driving to the POE. A smart parking option will be evaluated, and 

if included, would provide those drivers with state-of-the-art parking slot information and 

peak/off-peak parking pricing. 

Traveler information kiosks located in the reconfigured commercial spaces would enhance the 

travel experience and provide pedestrian amenities geared to the cross-border traveler. The socalled pedestrian deck can be designed as an inviting traveler esplanade with attractive retail 

outlets and food stations.

A coordinated, pedestrian-friendly, multimodal system that includes local and long-haul buses, 

jitneys, airport connector buses, trolleys, taxis, and pick-up and drop-off opportunities for transit 

riders and pedestrians is planned. An integrated multimodal center that is based upon making 

mass transit options more accessible and more viable must be developed. Without such an 

integrated multimodal traveler center, 25,000 pedestrians per day are subject to an inefficient 

crossing experience that encourages Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) travel and is congested, 

carbon emission intensive, and increasingly expensive. The enhanced multimodal center will be

supported by a complete traveler information system. That traveler information system will

provide information about all on-carriage options; bus, trolley, and airline schedules; and realtime border delay notifications.

State-of-the-Art ITS at Border Crossings in the El Paso Region

Stakeholders in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region are seeking to develop a comprehensive stateof-the-art ITS at all three border crossings in the El Paso region. Objectives of the ITS

deployment are to measure, relay, and archive volume, crossing times, and wait times and to 

queue length of passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles both in northbound and southbound 

directions. The ITS deployment will be in coordination with a system already deployed at one of 

the bridges to measure crossing and wait times of northbound commercial vehicles. 
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ITS PROJECTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT IN MEXICO

National Strategic Plan for Planning, Developing, and Implementing ITSs in 

Mexico

The objective of the National Strategic Plan is defining programs and strategies to develop and 

implement ITS service applications in Mexico that support a better operation and use of the 

multimodal transportation network in Mexico. This strategy will help maintain Mexico’s 

competitive position internally at the international level, considering the nation’s social and 

environmental objectives defined by relevant stakeholders. The plan will define the sector’s 

policy for implementing ITS services in Mexico at the national and urban levels. It will define 

strategic plans and programs to implement the ITS Strategic Plan in Mexico, as well as resources 

and the schedule for completing these activities. It will also define the institutional arrangement 

required to manage the implementation of Mexico’s ITS Strategic Plan (49).

Development Plan for Updating Processes, Standards, and ITS Protocols

The objective of this project is to establish a development plan for updating processes, standards, 

and ITS protocols to promote the implementation of ITS systems. These protocols and standards 

include the interoperability and the implementation of transportation systems at the local and 

regional levels. The project will assure that hardware and software interconnections and 

interfaces are consistent and compatible within an advanced transportation system (49).

Development of the Traveler Information System (INFOVIAJE)

The project will define the general characteristics of the INFOVIAJE system from the 

technological, financial, commercial, and legal perspectives. During this project, the 

INFOVIAJE CONOPS will be developed. The CONOPS will include the definition of the 

system’s performance, identification and coordination with key stakeholders, definition of 

processes and specific procedures for the adequate operation of the system, conceptual and initial 

design of road data input into the system and coordination with fixed-line telephone and cellular 

service suppliers. The project will define the technical, functional, operative, financial, and 

infrastructure requirements of the INFOVIAJE global system; the GIS portal and maps; the 

INFOVIAJE software functions; the database structure; the report structure; the (general) 

telephone system; the voice recognition system (VRS); the public, stakeholder, and SCT Web 

pages; the backup system; and the telecommunications requirements (49).

Strategic Plan for the Modernization and Improvement of the Electronic Toll 

Collection System

The project will create a strategic plan for ETC in Mexico that includes the operational, 

regulatory, and legal aspects. The plan will include the definition of technologies and the

commercial and legal structure required to migrate gradually from the current operation to the 

desired model. It will identify stakeholder needs and define equipment configurations and key 

procedures that will facilitate the interaction between stakeholders. The project will propose 

technological improvements that can be implemented to increase the use and efficiency of ETC

systems so that payment time at booths can be reduced to optimize existing infrastructure. The 
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plan will establish the legal framework required to regulate the provision of ETC services, 

identifying required changes in the laws and regulations (49).
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CHAPTER 7. WORKSHOP ORGANIZATION AND FINDINGS

As part of this project, the research team organized two workshops to further document the stateof-the-practice, stakeholders’ short- and long-term needs, and present and future technology 

solutions. 

The first workshop took place in Austin, Texas on April 5, 2011, with 28 participants in the 

conference room and more than 10 participating via Webinar. The workshop objective was to 

describe and discuss ITS technologies that are being implemented at border regions. 

Appendix A has the detailed agenda and workshop participant list. The audience for the first 

workshop was mainly State and Federal officials from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the 

workshop evaluated integration opportunities in the border region, evaluated State and locally 

owned toll road operations at border crossings, and showcased experience measuring wait times, 

non-intrusive toll systems, and variable pricing technologies.

The second workshop took place at Caltrans District 11 offices in San Diego, California, on 

June 29, 2011. More than 45 people from public and private sectors participated in person at the 

workshop, and more than 10 participated via Webinar. Based on the results and feedback from 

that initial workshop, the meeting in San Diego focused on three aspects:

• Policy, legal, and institutional aspects of border ITS implementations.

• Implementation experiences from solution providers and technology vendors.

• Future solutions/products for cross-border ITSs and technologies.

In particular, the first objective was to identify policy, legal, and institutional barriers to 

implementing ITS technologies along the United States’ northern and southern borders. The 

second objective was to learn directly from ITS solution providers and technology vendors 

concerning their experiences in the implementation of innovative ITS projects at the borders. 

The third objective was to explore technologies that are perceived to have promise for facilitating 

transportation across the borders, in both directions and for both commercial and passenger 

vehicles. The final agenda and participant list is presented in Appendix B.

KEY OUTCOMES FROM THE WORKSHOPS

During the first workshop, the research team presented a summary of the technology scan 

findings and facilitated discussion of the ITS technologies that are being implemented at border 

regions. As mentioned earlier, during the first workshop the audience consisted mainly of State 

DOTs and Federal agencies. The discussion led to the following points for each of the topics 

that were presented in the scan report.

Tolling in Border Regions

• Ready Lanes are being deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border. These lanes allow for a 

faster crossing using a WHTI-compliant document. They do not pre-clear to the same 

security level as SENTRI or NEXUS lanes. The number of Ready Lanes is expected to 

grow in the near future. 
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• San Luis II POE is the newest POE in Arizona where tolls are collected, marking the first 

time that a POE collects tolls west of Texas. Another example will be the future Otay 

Mesa East POE in California, which also involves a tolled access road. In the future, 

more POEs in California and Arizona will be developed with a tolling component as the 

financing mechanism as GSA and other Federal budgets are cut. New Mexico law 

currently prohibits tolling. 

• Texas law is very restrictive of automated visual identification of vehicles but allows the 

use of ALPR for tolling purposes. The only other legal way to identify vehicles is using 

red light cameras.

• Mexico’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is in the process of equipping every 

vehicle with an RFID transponder (30 million). This may be leveraged for tolling or 

other ITS applications 

• Video enforcement in Mexico is nonexistent; as a result, gate barriers at border crossings 

are used to control access. 

• Currently, Mexican violators cannot be pursued in the U.S. However, tolling violations 

by Mexican drivers appear not to be a concern to toll operators in the U.S. due to the low 

violation rates. As more all-electronic toll roads are built near the border, this might 

become an issue. There is a need to educate and inform Mexican drivers about 

alternatives for paying for tolls, such as the Day Pass offered by TTA. 

• Tolling interoperability between the U.S. and Mexico and between U.S. tolled border 

crossings is very limited and currently not a top priority for the agencies involved. 

Border Transportation Operations

• Real-time data sharing at the border is limited or non-existent. There are plans to create 

an integrated bi-national system at new POEs, such as the Otay Mesa East in California. 

• The lack of protocols for sharing data is one of the reasons that there is little or no data 

sharing among stakeholders. BIFA is a response to how to share info. It is based on U.S. 

and Canadian national architectures and their components, with added Customs 

components. It involves Transport Canada/FHWA/CBP/CBSA. A key benefit is that it 

gets stakeholders involved in talking about the process.

Traffic Management

• Concessionaire toll roads leading to the border do not have an incentive to inform the 

public about delays and best routes since doing so can diminish their revenue. 

• Reliable border wait-time information for contiguous border crossings is needed. 

Officials should provide drivers with traveler information in advance so they can make 

route selection far away from the border. In addition to border wait times, information 

for how to get to the border crossing is needed (travel planning).

• New Mexico cannot sell TMC data or spend money providing it to third parties. Texas 

cannot sell its TMC data either. An alternative is for Texas to do quid pro quo with a 

third party, in which the third party provides something nonmonetary in exchange.
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• British Columbia and Washington State have had BWT measurement since 2003, using 

inductive loops at two crossings. It is for both northbound and southbound traffic and 

mostly for passenger vehicles. At Windsor, Ontario there is border wait time 

measurement using loops and overhead lasers. 

Enforcement

• CBP continues to expand the use of RFID technologies for trusted traveler programs on 

commercial and private vehicles. 

• State vehicle inspection agencies are also implementing RFID-based systems to expedite 

the screening of commercial vehicles that cross from Mexico into the United States.

Traveler Information

• Currently the main source of traffic information still remains television and radio in 

border regions. Radio stations regularly report traffic conditions based on cameras or 

visual counts at border regions. Sometimes the information is not accurate because it is 

not provided constantly and could be lagging in time.

• The border wait time projects currently under development will provide information in 

close to real-time basis, as well as archived data.

Archived Data Management

• Transportation agencies are mostly focused on day-to-day operation, and therefore the 

archived data management activities are not a priority. Very few agencies have wellstructured plans for archiving and using the data.

• Maintenance and operating cost past research shows that adoption and sustainability are 

not easy. Understanding needs prior to implementing technology is a key element to 

secure the successful long-term operation of ITS projects at border crossings.

A conclusion from the first workshop was that a key element for the successful implementation 

of ITS technologies is to identify policy, legal, and institutional barriers to implementing. Given 

that Federal, State, and local agencies from two countries as well as private-sector stakeholders 

operate at the border; it is difficult and time-consuming to overcome these non-technical barriers. 

Another key finding from the workshop was the realization that it is crucial to understand 

stakeholder needs prior to the implementation of any technology.

The second workshop included participants from public- and private-sector. On the public sector 

side, state and local officials presented their implementation experiences. Private-sector 

stakeholders presented technology implementation experiences that facilitate transportation 

across borders. The specific objectives of the second workshop were:

1. Identify policy, legal, and institutional barriers to implementing ITS technologies along 

the United States’ northern and southern borders.

2. Learn directly from ITS solution providers and technology vendors concerning their 

experiences in the implementation of innovative ITS projects at the borders. 
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3. Explore technologies that are perceived to have promise for facilitating transportation 

across the borders, in both directions and for both commercial and passenger vehicles. 

The federal agencies that presented their perspective included FHWA, FMCSA and SCT. State 

DOTs included presentations from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. 

ITS solution providers and technology vendors presented their experiences in the implementation 

of innovative ITS projects at the borders in the following subjects:

• Tolling in Border Regions

• Border Transportation Operations, Traffic Management and Enforcement 

• Traveler Information

• Archived Data Management

The various companies that made presentations during the workshop were:

• FreeAhead, Roy Sumner, Border Wait Time

• G4 Apps, Bob Borrows, Intelligent Connected Vehicle and Smart Phone Solutions in 

Smart Border ITS

• Inrix, Ryan Glancy, A Non-Infrastructure Based Traffic Data Solution

• Intelligent Imaging Solutions, Brian Heath, Smart Roadside Inspection Systems 

• IRD, Tom Der, Border Transportation Operations

• Kapsch, Bob Frank, Tolling and border crossing solutions for the 21st century

• R.C. Ice and Associates, US National ITS Architecture Team, Ron C. Ice, Regional 

ITS Architectures at Land Border

• Telvent, Jorgen Pedersen, Turning Vision into Action

• Transcore, Hal Pittman, RFID Interoperability

Key conclusions from the second workshop are:

• Utilizing the advanced V2I capability of 5.9 GHz DSRC to allow bi-directional 

communication capability between the vehicle and the border-crossing systems is a 

technology that has potential for border crossing operations. The information that his 

technology is capable of collecting includes vehicle’s weight, dimensions, last inspection, 

cargo content, and travel history.

• In the next 10-15 years, tolling will likely be “tag free” and lean heavily on 5.8 GHZ 

DSRC. A transponder will merge with other electronics (smart phones, navigation 

devices, or a vehicle’s OBU) for customer convenience. These devices will be 

interoperable, open standard, and capable of performing multiple tasks. This will depend 

on the level of adoption by toll operators and vehicle manufacturers as the connected 

vehicle program evolves.
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CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSIONS

The Conclusions section is divided into two main areas. The first one presents conclusions from 

the scan, organized in five areas that were analyzed. The second section includes the

conclusions from the two workshops that were conducted as part of this research. 

SCAN CONCLUSIONS

Border Operations

The border-crossing process for passenger and commercial vehicles at the U.S. northern and 

southern borders is complicated due to the number of stakeholders that participate in the process, 

involving two countries, private and public sectors, and all levels of government. 

Various stakeholders that operate at the land border environment are implementing ITS 

technologies. However, there is little or no coordination among stakeholders to develop 

standards that could lead to an integrated, interoperable system, capable of sharing resources and 

perhaps information. One example of this is the use of the RFID tags, where CBP is using the 

tag on commercial vehicles to control user fees. The same type of tag is being used for tolling 

purposes at some commercial crossings, on both sides of the border. Various states are using the 

same technology to expedite vehicle inspection at the border. This lack of coordination leads to 

having vehicles with multiple, similar or identical RFID tags. 

There are examples of a coordinated bi-national effort like the project currently underway at the 

proposed Otay Mesa East crossing in California. SANDAG is developing a bi-national ITS predeployment strategy that will incorporate the use of ITS technologies in the San Diego/Tijuana 

region.

Tolling at Land Border Crossings

Toll interoperability at the U.S. – Mexico border is limited to the local level between nearby U.S. 

border crossings, and no interoperability exists between U.S. and Mexican tolling 

agencies. Although a few operators are having preliminary discussions aimed at becoming

interoperable, this study generally did not find a concerted effort towards interoperability. The 

primary reason for this is the complexity of dealing with foreign customers and agencies. 

In terms of tolling technology, most of the U.S. – Mexico border crossings do have some form of 

AVI even though is not always RFID-based AVI. However, several U.S. border crossings are 

planning to upgrade to RFID AVI in the near future. It is also expected that new border 

crossings will select RFID as their AVI technology solution. Interviews with selected bordercrossing operators indicated that they are following 5.9 GHz DSRC developments closely but 

know of no concrete plans in the near future.

Traffic Management and Traveler Information

The scan revealed that sharing of real-time traffic management data and ITS usage between 

agencies from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border has been limited, compared to U.S.-Canada 

sharing. No bi-national TMCs along the U.S.-Mexico border were identified, and what 
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communication there is between agencies is limited to methods such as radio and mobile phones. 

Data and information sharing in real-time between border agencies have not been developed due 

to funding and institutional constraints.

U.S.-Mexico border agencies have deployed ITS solutions only to a very limited degree with the 

specific purpose of incident management around border crossings. Special events at and around 

border crossings (e.g., concerts, cultural and sporting events, major holydays) are planned ahead 

using ad-hoc meetings between bi-national agencies of all levels. Each agency lays out its 

subsequent roles according to its jurisdictions to assist traffic management during the event.

The FHWA and other state agencies are in the process of implementing several ITS technologies 

to measure border and crossing times for commercial vehicles along the U.S. southern border. 

The use of technologies such as RFID, smart phones, wireless networks, radar traffic sensors, 

and vehicle waveform identification has shown improvements and has shown tremendous 

potentials for collection of wait and crossing times at the border.

Archived Data Management

A centralized repository of archived data would significantly reduce data redundancy, reduce 

data collection and storage cost, and increase efficiency of data retrieval.

There is a need for highly granular border crossing data by state and local agencies. In addition, 

local agencies need information such as queue lengths, wait times, and crossing times. This 

information is normally obtained during a relatively short period of data collection at the border.

Emerging Technologies 

The USDOT Connected Vehicle Program is a key building block for FMCSA’s objective of 

significantly expanding the number of inspections that are conducted each year and the base of 

data on which to make performance-based enforcement decisions.

The WRI initiative involves emerging technologies used in the United States that have been 

tested with outstanding results for examining the condition of the vehicle and driver by assessing 

data collected by on-board systems. 

Other emerging technologies that have implementation potential at border crossings in the near 

future come from initiatives that include the DMA Program, C-TIP, and CVII.

CONCLUSIONS FROM WORKSHOPS

A conclusion from the first workshop was that a key element for the successful implementation 

of ITS technologies is to identify policy, legal, and institutional barriers to implementation. 

Given that Federal, State, and local agencies from two countries as well as private-sector 

stakeholders operate at the border, it is difficult and time-consuming to overcome these nontechnical barriers. Another conclusion from the workshop was the realization that it is crucial to 

understand stakeholder needs prior to the implementation of any technology. 
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Final Report 93 July 2012

The main conclusions from the second workshop, in which vendors and other stakeholders 

presented their experiences, were: 

• Utilizing the advanced V2I capability of 5.9 GHz DSRC to allow bi-directional 

communication capability between the vehicle and the border-crossing systems is a 

technology that has potential for border crossing operations.

• The future of tolling will likely be “tag free” but lean heavily on DSRC. A transponder 

will merge with other electronics (smartphones, navigation devices, or a vehicle’s OBU) 

for customer convenience. These devices will be interoperable, open standard, and 

capable of performing multiple tasks.

 
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Final Report 99 July 2012

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of Utah, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.

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71. New Mexico Department of Transportation. Final New Mexico Statewide ITS 

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Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 100 July 2012

81. Washingington Department of Transportation. Canadia Border Traffic. -. [Online] 

2010. [Cited: October 18, 2010.] http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/.

82. British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Wait Times for Peace 

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83. New York State Department of Transportation. Traffic Conditions. 511 Traffic, Travel 

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Final Report 101 July 2012

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V. 2, s.l. : Transport Reviews, March 2006, Vol. 26.

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Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report 102 July 2012

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Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report July 2012

APPENDIX A:

FIRST BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report A-1 July 2012

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE FIRST BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP

Name Organization Name Organization

Marisa Walker ADOT Alesia Gamboa TxDOT Traffic ITS

Bill Tate Battelle Charlie Farnham TxDOT Traffic ITS

Crystal Jones FHWA Scott E. Nodes ADOT

Sylvia Grijalva FHWA Doug Woodall TxDOT Turnpike Authority

Travis Black FHWA Matt Schiemer

Chris Flanigan FMCSA Jesse Glazer FHWA California

Charles Remkes New Mexico Frank Cechini FHWA California

Michael Smelker New Mexico Steve Pyburn FHWA California

Kate Hartman RITA Vivien Hoang FHWA New Mexico

Samuel Johnson SANDAG Andrea Hoffman SANDAG

Tina Casgar SANDAG Christopher Burke SANDAG

Juan José Erazo SCT Jonathan Sabean Transport Canada

Manuel Cuan Chu SCT Edgar Fino TxDOT- El Paso

Tammy Duncan Southwest Research 

Institute Danny Magee TxDOT- Laredo

Harry Grothues Southwest Research 

Institute Melissa Montemayor TxDOT- Laredo

Juan Carlos Villa TTI Linda Sexton TxDOT Turnpike Authority

Rajat Rajbhandari TTI Reza Karimvand ADOT

Roberto Macias TTI Mario Orzo Caltrans

Eduardo Hagert TxDOT - GPA-IRO Jennifer Brown FHWA Arizona

Agustin de la Rosa TxDOT - IRO Manuel Sanchez FHWA California

Esther Hitzfelder TxDOT - IRO Mark Olson FHWA Texas

Manuela Ortiz TxDOT - IRO Gabriela Contreras-Apodaca New Mexico

Charles Koonce TxDOT - TRF-ITS Jesse Medina Pharr

Jesus Leal TxDOT- Pharr
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report A-2 July 2012

AGENDA OF THE FIRST BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP

Item Description Schedule Speaker

Introduction, Welcoming Remarks, Ground Rules 08:30-08:45 Crystal Jones

US DOT ITS Program Overview 08:45:9:15 Kate Hartman

Goals and Objectives of the Project 09:15-09:20 Bill Tate

Scan Methodology and Approach 09:20-09:30 Juan C. Villa

Planning and Cross-Border Coordination 09:30-09:40 Juan C. Villa

Tolling Issues in Border Regions – Transaction Processing 09:40-09:55 Roberto Macias

Tolling Issues in Border Regions – Electronic Tolling Operations 09:55-10:10 Roberto Macias

Tolling Issues in Border Regions – Technology 10:10-10:30 Roberto Macias

Break 10:30-10:45

Border Transportation Operations 10:45-11:00 Rajat Rajbhandari

Enforcement 11:00-11:15 Juan C. Villa

Traffic Management 11:15-11:30 Rajat Rajbhandari

Traveler Information 11:30-11:45 Rajat Rajbhandari

Archived data management 11:45-12:00 Rajat Rajbhandari

Lunch Break 12:00-13:15

ITS Commercial Vehicle Safety IBC E-Screening initiative 13:15-13:35 Chris Flanigan

Border ITS Canadian Perspective 13:35-13:55 Jonathan Sabean

Border ITS Mexican Perspective 13:55-14:15 Juan J. Erazo

Open Discussion on Current and Future ITS Needs of the 

Stakeholders at the Border 14:15-15:00 Floor

Break 15:00-15:15

Operational and Technological Challenges to Meet the Needs of 

the Stakeholders 15:15-16:00 Floor

Feedback from the Participants about Technology Solutions to be 

Demonstrated and Discussed. Define specific implementation 

case studies that could be requested to industry

16:00-16:45 Juan C. Villa

Closing Remarks and Adjourn 16:45-17:00 Crystal Jones
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report July 2012

APPENDIX B:

SECOND BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report B-1 July 2012

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS OF THE SECOND BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP

Name Organization Name Organization

Marisa Walker ADOT Francisco Calvario SCT

Angelica Echegaray Aduanas Harry Grothues Southwest Research Institute

Carlos Morales Aduanas Jorgen Pedersen Telvent

Bill Tate Battelle Harold Pittman TransCore

Mario Orso Caltrans Juan Villa TTI

Sergio Pallares Caltrans Rajat Rajbhandari TTI

Carlos Cortez Caltrans Roberto Macias TTI

Jacqueline Appleton Caltrans Salvador Perez TxDOT

Nicola Bernard Caltrans Esther Hitzfelder TxDOT - IRO

Jose Ornelas Caltrans Border Liaison Charles Koonce TxDOT - TRF-ITS

Mark Jensen Cambridge Systematics Eran Aichler Delcan Corporation

Chris Flanigan DOT.FMCSA Jesse Glazer FHWA California

Crystal Jones FHWA Vivien Hoang FHWA New Mexico

Sylvia Grijalva FHWA David Franklin FHWA U.S. - Canadian Border 

Coordinator

Travis Black FHWA Matthew Schiemer Gannett Fleming

Manuel Sanchez FHWA California Moojan Khazra IBI Group

Roy Sumner FreeAhead Inc Simon Smith IBI Group

Bob Burrows G4 Apps Inc. Rob Hedley IBM

Ramon Riesgo GSA David Salgado ICTC

Alvaro Alamilla IBI Group Brian Mofford Intelligent Imaging Systems

Chris Kimbrell IBI Group Charles Remkes New Mexico DOT

Don Murphy IBI Group Kate Hartman RITA

Ryan Glancy INRIX John Karabias RTR Technologies LLC.

Tom Der IRD (International Road 

Dynamics Inc.) Christopher Burke SANDAG

Bob Frank Kapsch Samuel Johnson SANDAG

Michael Smelker New Mexico DOT Tina Casgar SANDAG

Ron Ice R. C. Ice and Associates Greg Pieper SmarTek Systems, Inc.

Andrea Hoff SANDAG Tammy Duncan Southwest Research Institute

Anna Borrell-Rovira SANDAG Shel Leader Telvent

Cheryl Mason SANDAG Scott Brosi TransCore

Chris Burke SANDAG Jonathan Sabean Transport Canada

Stacy Corona SANDAG Manuela Ortiz TxDOT - IRO

Hector Vanegas SANDAG Jesus Leal TxDOT- Pharr

Juan José Erazo SCT Alesia Gamboa TxDOT Traffic ITS
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

Final Report B-2 July 2012

AGENDA OF THE SECOND BORDER-WIDE ITS WORKSHOP

Topic Start End Presenter

Welcoming Remarks 08:30 08:40 Caltrans

Introductions, Workshop Objectives and Organization 08:40 09:00 FHWA

Federal Perspective

09:00 09:15 FHWA

09:15 09:30 SCT

09:30 09:45 GSA

Discussion on Federal Perspective 09:45 10:20 All

Break 10:20 10:30

State and Local Perspective

10:30 10:45 SANDAG/Caltrans

10:45 11:00 ADOT 

11:00 11:15 TxDOT 

11:15 11:30 NMDOT

Discussion on State/Local Perspective 11:30 12:15 All

Lunch 12:15 01:30

Tolling in Border Regions

01:30 01:45 Transcore 

01:45 02:00 Kapsch

Border Transportation Operations, Traffic 

Management and Enforcement 

02:00 02:15 IRD 

02:15 02:30 Intelligent Imaging Solutions

02:30 02:45 R.C. Ice and Associates

Break 02:45 03:00

Traveler Information

03:00 03:15 Telvent

03:15 03:30 Inrix

Archived Data Management 03:30 03:45 IBM

Guided Discussion on Future Concepts 03:45 04:30 RTR Technologies, G4 Apps, 

and FreeAhead

Discussion on Implementation Experiences 04:30 05:15 All

Closing Remarks and Adjourn 05:15 05:30 FHWA
Border-Wide Assessment of ITS Technology—

Current and Future Concepts

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Office of Operations

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

Toll-Free “Help Line” (866) 367-7487

Fax: 202-366-3225

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov

July 2012

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