New tolling equipment is being installed and tested

A two-week closure is planned for the ramp from the Lincoln Bridge (I-65 North) to Court Avenue in Jeffersonville (Exit 0). During the closure, crews will be removing old tolling equipment and installing and testing new equipment. The upgraded equipment is part of RiverLink’s transition to a new toll service provider.

During the closure, a signed detour will be in place directing motorists to Exit 1 in Jeffersonville.

The closure is planned for the following dates and location:

Sunday, Nov. 5 – Saturday, Nov. 18

• Court Avenue exit ramp from I-65 North (Lincoln Bridge)

The closure is expected to begin around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Overnight lane closures scheduled on Lincoln and Kennedy bridges

Overnight lane closures are scheduled on the Lincoln and Kennedy bridges the next two weeks to install new toll equipment.

The upgraded equipment is part of RiverLink’s transition to a new toll service provider.

The closures are planned for the following dates and locations:

Wednesday, July 19 – Friday, July 21:

• Lincoln Bridge (I-65 North): Three inside lanes and shoulder

Sunday, July 23 – Friday, July 28:

• Lincoln Bridge (I-65 North): Three inside lanes and shoulder
• Kennedy Bridge (I-65 South): Three inside lanes and shoulder

Closures are expected nightly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. All ramps will be open. Drivers should be alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Overnight lane closures on Lewis and Clark Bridge

Overnight lane closures are expected to continue next week on the Lewis and Clark Bridge (KY 841/SR 265) to install new toll equipment.

The upgraded equipment is part of RiverLink’s transition to a new toll service provider and investment in technology and services.

The closures are planned for the following dates and locations:

• Sunday, June 18 – Wednesday, June 21: Inside lane and shoulder (both directions)

Closures are expected nightly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers should be alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Toll rates are updated every year

New toll rates for three bridges connecting Louisville and Southern Indiana begin July 1, 2023. Rates will range from $2.52 to $15.09, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a prepaid account.

RiverLink accounts allow drivers to safely and efficiently cross the Ohio River while paying the lowest toll rates. Drivers with transponders and prepaid accounts in good standing save more than $2 per crossing. In a passenger vehicle, the savings is 50% per crossing. The easiest way to maintain a positive account balance is by choosing auto-replenishment and linking the account to a valid payment method.

Toll revenue is used to meet the financial obligations of the Ohio River Bridges Project and to pay for operations and maintenance of the bridges and roadways in the project area.

Tolling is in place on the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 Kennedy Bridge and SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge connecting Prospect, Ky. and Utica, Ind.

Toll rates increase annually by 2.5 percent unless the rate of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) is higher. The April 2023 CPI used to calculate this year’s increase was 4.9 percent.

Indiana Walk-Up Center Expected to Reopen Late Summer

As a reminder, the Indiana Walk-Up Center closed in late May to complete renovations and prepare for the transition to a new toll service provider. Several improvements in the customer experience are expected with the new provider. The walk-up center in Jeffersonville is anticipated to reopen in late summer.

The Kentucky Walk-Up Center remains open to serve customers. It’s currently located at 400 E. Main Street, Suite 102. The walk-up center in Louisville will be moving to a new downtown location when the new provider is in place.

Overnight lane closures scheduled on Lewis and Clark Bridge

Overnight lane closures are scheduled on the Lewis and Clark Bridge (KY 841/SR 265) the next two weeks to install new toll equipment. Closures are expected Sunday, June 4 – Saturday, June 17.

The upgraded equipment is part of RiverLink’s transition to a new toll service provider and investment in technology and services.

The closures are planned for the following dates and locations:

• Sunday, June 4 – Friday, June 9: Inside lane and shoulder (both directions)
• Sunday, June 11 – Friday, June 16: Outside lane and shoulder (both directions)

Closures are expected nightly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers should be alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Overnight lane closures will take place between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Thursday, March 30, 2023) – Overnight lane closures are scheduled on Interstate 65 North and South and the Gene Snyder Freeway (KY 841) beginning Monday, April 3, with a projected completion date of Friday, April 7.

Closures will take place at night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for annual preventative maintenance on overhead equipment at the toll plazas to optimize performance of the tolling system.

The routine toll plaza maintenance will take place at the following times and locations:

• Monday, April 3 – One lane and shoulder of Interstate 65 North will close at MM 135 in Kentucky. Three lanes and the shoulder of Interstate 65 North will close at MM 0.2 in Indiana.
• Tuesday, April 4 – Two lanes and the shoulder of Interstate 65 North will close at MM 0.2 in Indiana. One lane of the ramp to Court Avenue (Exit 0) off of Interstate 65 North will close in Indiana. These closures will require traffic to shift lanes.
• Wednesday, April 5 – One lane and shoulder of Interstate 65 South will close at MM 2.3 in Indiana. One lane and shoulder of Interstate 65 South will close at MM 0.8 in Indiana. Three lanes and the shoulder of Interstate 65 South will close at MM 0.2 in Indiana. Traffic will be required to switch lanes at the Court Avenue entrance ramp into the existing closure.
• Thursday, April 6 – Three lanes and the shoulder of Interstate 65 South will close at MM 0.2 in Indiana. One lane and shoulder of Interstate 265 South will close at MM 38 in Kentucky. These closures will require traffic to shift lanes.
• Friday, April 7 – Two lanes and the shoulder of Interstate 265 North will close at MM 36 in Kentucky. One lane and shoulder of Interstate 265 North will close at MM 38 in Kentucky. These closures will require traffic to shift lanes.

Drivers should be alert, watch for signage and slow down in the work area.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Call center to bring 60 new local jobs

The Joint Board and Tolling Body for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project met today and approved 11 resolutions related to the operations of the RiverLink tolling system. This includes plans to move its customer call center to Louisville, adding 60 local jobs. Additionally, the Tolling Body approved an updated toll policy agreement for the tolling system.

The new call center, located on Linn Station Road near Hurstbourne Parkway, is scheduled to open in the summer of 2023.

“Seven years ago, RiverLink helped build the Abraham Lincoln and Lewis and Clark bridges, and significantly extended the life of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge,” said Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith. “Our partnership with Kentucky has helped improve connections between the two states and spurred economic growth on both sides of the river. We are committed to ensuring this connection and partnership remain strong as we move forward.”

The center will replace the existing call center in Muncie, Ind. That center will continue to support RiverLink’s customer service calls until the opening of the new center this summer.

“We are excited Louisville will be the call center’s new home,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said. “RiverLink customers will receive top-notch customer service from representatives who live and work in the areas they serve.”

No in-person services will be provided at the new call center. Those services will continue to be provided at RiverLink’s walk-up centers in downtown Louisville and Jeffersonville.

The opening of the new call center is part of RiverLink’s transition to a new back-office service provider, Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC). In addition to customer service support, ETC will also handle image review and invoicing.

ETC is one of two new vendors that will support RiverLink’s operations starting in the summer of 2023. TransCore was selected earlier this year to provide roadside services. These include installing, operating and maintaining the equipment that captures vehicle crossings on tolled bridges.

Additionally, the Joint Board and Tolling Body for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project approved the following resolutions.

 KPTIA Transponder Agreement

The Joint Board approved a resolution authorizing the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority (KPTIA) to enter into a new agreement for transponders, procured by the E-ZPass Interagency Group. KPTIA, as a representative of the Joint Board, is a member of the E-ZPass Interagency Group, which operates the E-ZPass System.

Change Order for Custody and Revenue Control Agreement

The second resolution approved makes necessary adjustments to the flow of funds and bank accounts to align with the new vendors.

Change Order for Back-Office Requirements and Schedule

The Board approved a revision to the requirements and schedule originally laid out in the contract with ETC. The change order updates ETC’s requirements to be more in line with the transition needs. The approval also shifts the go-live date, now aligned with the fiscal year, which begins July 1.

TransCore Change Order 1

This change order amends the contract with TransCore to allow for the combination of roadside system tests, reducing redundancy. The amendment also moves the go-live date from September 1, 2023, to December 1, 2023.

Ratification of Agreement Extensions 

The Joint Board approved contract extensions with Strothman and Company (Revenue Control Manager), C2 Strategic Communications (Marketing and Public Relations) and HNTB (Toll Services Advisor).

Joint Board Bylaw Revision

The Board approved a resolution amending the bylaws to clarify the process for contract extensions. Under the revised bylaws, contracts may be extended by either formal Joint Board approval or written consent of IFA, INDOT, KYTC and KPTIA.

Ratification of Gantries

The Joint Board approved a resolution ratifying contracts between the Indiana Department of Transportation and Mid-Park to provide new gantries and between INDOT and Hoosier for the coordination and installation of the new gantries.

The ratification of these contracts follows the Board’s August approval for the procurement of gantries.

Updated Toll Policy Agreement

The Tolling Body approved updated Toll Policy Agreements. The new agreements are necessary given the transition from Kapsch TrafficCom, the current Toll System Provider, to a new back-office provider, ETC, and the addition of new roadside and collections vendors, Transcore and Perdue Brandon.

New business rules are included in the Toll Policy Agreements. Under the new business rules, some invoices for unregistered vehicles will be temporarily held beginning April 1, 2023 to allow for the transition between Kapsch and ETC. The pending invoices will begin to be issued once ETC back-office operations begin this summer. Registered pre-paid tag transactions will continue to post to registered customer accounts during this period.

Video transactions will be held.

Other changes to the business rules to be effective with the new ETC back office, include no longer holding transactions that are less than $5, a monthly billing cycle and allowing a limited number of video tolls (V-tolls) to count towards the Frequent User Discount program.

Lane Closures will take place between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Overnight lane closures are scheduled on Interstate 65 South and on the Gene Snyder Freeway (KY 841) North for Friday, August 26 between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Work crews will perform routine maintenance on overhead equipment and roadway sensors at multiple toll plazas during this time.

The routine toll plaza maintenance will take place at the following locations:

• Two right lanes of Interstate 65 South will close at mile marker 0.2 in Indiana, near the Kennedy Bridge. Three southbound lanes and the Court Avenue On-Ramp to I-65 will remain open.
• One lane and the shoulder on the Gene Snyder Freeway (KY 841) North, will close at mile marker 38 in Kentucky, near the Lewis and Clark Bridge. One north bound lane will remain open.

Drivers should be alert, watch for signage and slow down in the work area.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Ohio River Bridges Project board passes five resolutions to improve tolling system

The Joint Board for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project met today and approved five resolutions related to operations of the RiverLink tolling system.

One of the resolutions was the approval of TransCore LP as the new roadside provider (RSP2).  Roadside services include installing, operating and maintaining the roadside equipment used to capture vehicle crossings on tolled bridges and determine vehicle classification (number of axles and vehicle height). The new contract will result in significant improvements to the current roadside system.

Roadside tolling equipment typically has a 7- to 10-year lifespan. Tolling started at the end of 2016. TransCore is expected to have its equipment and systems in place by next year.

The current contract for roadside services and back office services is with Kapsch TrafficCom (TSP). The Joint Board approved a resolution in June 2020 to separate contracts for back office and roadside services.

Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC) was selected as the back office provider (TSP2) in June 2021. Back office services include image review, invoicing and customer service centers. ETC’s operations also will be in place in 2023.

Toll Collection Resolution

In another resolution passed today, the Joint Board selected Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott LLP to assist with Collections. The new vendor will collect outstanding tolls and fees and help ensure that all drivers using the tolled bridges pay their fair share.

This contract will be a performance-based agreement with no upfront costs to RiverLink. The vendor will be paid based on a percentage of unpaid tolls they collect. Outstanding tolls and fees will move to Collections after four unpaid invoices are sent. Vehicle owners in Kentucky and Indiana may also face vehicle registration holds for seriously delinquent accounts.

Additional Resolutions

A third resolution passed today authorizes a change order with Kapsch TrafficCom, which has served as the Toll System Provider (TSP1) since 2015. The change order recognizes changes in the TSP’s scope of work to successfully transition back office services to a new provider.

A fourth resolution approved by the Joint Board authorizes a change order with Kapsch TrafficCom regarding billable rates for customer service activities. The adjustment is intended to address the tight labor market and to support recruitment and retainment of experienced employees to improve customer service.

The final resolution passed today authorizes the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to act as the Contracting Party for one or more procurements related to marketing and public relations services. C2 Strategic Communications has provided both public relations and marketing services for RiverLink since 2017.

Joint Board

The Joint Board includes transportation and finance leaders from Indiana and Kentucky. It’s made up of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) commissioner, the Indiana public finance director, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet secretary and the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority (KPTIA) chairman, or their designees.

The Joint Board was created to have long-term oversight and management responsibility for the Ohio Rivers Bridges Project. Bi-state tolling representatives handle the day-to-day administration of the tolling system.

New toll rates for three bridges connecting Louisville and Southern Indiana begin July 1, 2022. Rates will range from $2.40 to $14.38, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a prepaid account.

Drivers with prepaid accounts in good standing and transponders pay the lowest toll rates and save more than $2 per crossing. In a passenger vehicle, the savings is 50% per crossing. The easiest way to maintain a positive account balance is by choosing auto-replenishment and linking the account to a valid payment method.

Toll revenue is used to meet the financial obligations of the Ohio River Bridges Project and to pay for operations and maintenance of the bridges and roadways in the project area.

Tolling is in place on the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 Kennedy Bridge and SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge connecting Prospect, Ky. and Utica, Ind.

Toll rates increase annually by 2.5 percent unless the rate of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) is higher. The April 2022 CPI used to calculate the increase was 8.3 percent.

Additionally, the new rates include an adjustment of 0.1 percent that should have been reflected in the July 2021 rate increase. This adjustment was necessary because last year’s rate increase was calculated using the 2.5 percent baseline rather than the March 2021 CPI of 2.6 percent.

Tolling, a bi-state effort between Indiana and Kentucky, started Dec. 30, 2016.