Community News

Final contract for bridge toll system $54,725 under bid

By Debbie Kiewiet, dkiewiet@breezenewspapers.com

POSTED: May 21, 2009

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About E-Transit, Inc.

E-Transit, Inc. of Bridgeport, PA develops hardware and software solutions for the transportation industry, specializing in electronic toll collection, video surveillance and intelligent transportation systems. Principals of the firm have over 20 years of industry experience with state and local government clients in the U.S. and in Europe.

About GIBA

The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA) was created by Special Act 96-507 of the Florida Legislature. There are nine members of the GIBA Board of Directors. Five are publicly elected, and four are board appointed. The Board of Directors meets quarterly.

The GIBA is an Independent Special District of the State of Florida and a member of the Florida Association of Special Districts. The GIBA operates the Boca Grande Swing Bridge in Placida, FL. It is the only land link from Charlotte County to the three barrier islands known as North, Cole and Gasparilla Islands.

The Boca Grande Swing Bridge spans two 80-foot wide channels on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Placida Harbor. The bridge was built from 1952 to 1958 to replace a ferry service. The GIBA assumed responsibility for operation of the bridge's causeway and toll system in 1998.

Source: Gasparilla Island Bridge Authori

Last week, Jim Cooper, executive director of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority, said he was confident contract negotiations with E-Transit, Inc. of Bridgeport, PA on the new bridge toll system would be "fruitful."

Wednesday, Cooper reported that GIBA had awarded a contract to E-Transit for the ugprade and replacement of the existing toll collection system in the amount of $537,255.93 -- $54,725.07 below E-Transit's bid of $591,981.

"I just negotiated with them," Cooper said. "I asked them to sharpen their pencils. You never know until you try, the economy being what it is, and we had a lot of competition."

Five companies submitted proposals for a new toll system by the April 6 deadline, including E-Transit; Telvent-Caseta, Inc. of Austin, TX; Tolltex, Inc of Lafayette, NJ; TransToll of Wilmington, DE; and TRMI of Accord, NY.

A short-list of three proposals was identified by the GIBA Board's toll committee and approved by the board at its May 6 meeting. E-Transit was selected as the "highest-ranked and best value" and Cooper was authorized to enter into negotiations with them.

If negotiations with E-Transit had failed, Cooper was authorized to then commence negotiations with TRMI, the number two bidder.

"We went through the proposal item by item," Cooper said. "There were some things they thought they might have to do, and they didn't necessarily have to. In one case, they had allocated we needed five computers in the office, and we only needed three.

"We just made sure we had everything we needed," Cooper said, "and we didn't have anything we didn't need."

Representatives from E-Transit will be here next week, he said. Under the contract, all work on the project is to be completed by Nov. 30, 2009.

"We're on schedule," Cooper said, adding that by the time season rolls around, the new toll system will be completely operational.

"This is a win-win," he said. "Our patrons will enjoy the convenience of a new state-of-the-art electronic tolling system and more efficient toll plaza operations."

The intent of the project, according to a statement from GIBA, is to modernize and improve the functionality and performance of the toll collection system at the GIBA toll plaza. The GIBA Toll Collection System is an independent operating platform and is not in any way affiliated or inter-operable with Florida's Sun-Pass system. GIBA provides a critical transportation link and service to residents and businesses located on the barrier islands.

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