Infra Insight Blog

The Arizona Legislature sent to Gov. Jan Brewer on April 4, 2012 the landmark bill HB 2491, creating state-of-the-art toll collection and enforcement authority for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

The bill follows on the heels of the state’s enactment of its public-private partnership (P3) law two years ago.  While that law authorizes tolling, it lacked the enforcement mechanisms needed for effective open road electronic tolling, essential to modern toll road financing and operations. 

HB 2491 includes a three-notice system, increasing charges for delayed payment, an administrative hearing process, and a panoply of means to enforce collection, including license suspension and denial, vehicle registration denial, and towing and impoundment.

The P3 law included the right of toll road users to obtain refunds of fuel taxes on fuel consumed using tolled facilities.  This unusual and administratively impractical provision, backed by the trucking industry, was repealed by HB 2491.  In exchange, the trucking industry accepted a provision limiting the toll enforcement law to new transportation facilities, which could include new tolled lanes.

Arizona does not yet have tolled transportation facilities.  ADOT is considering a potential P3 for a tolled bypass facility at the Nogales border crossing, and the Maricopa Association of Governments is actively studying a managed lanes system for the Phoenix metropolitan area, which could include conversion of HOV lanes to HOT lanes.

Nossaman assisted ADOT in drafting the legislation.