Last week at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) 81st Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia, the association elected a slate of five officers and eight directors who will begin their new terms on January 1st, 2014. 

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in more than 20 countries and on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st century.

“The newly elected leadership of IBTTA comes on board at a critical time for both the association and the tolling industry worldwide,” said Patrick D. Jones, Executive Director and CEO of IBTTA.  “With the Transportation Authorization legislation before the U.S. Congress in September 2014, and the ongoing debate about financing future surface transportation and infrastructure projects around the globe, next year will undoubtedly be a historic time for our industry. As governments seek new revenues to support their critically aging infrastructure, tolling represents a prove option without raising taxes.”

The newly elected 2014 IBTTA Officers are:

• President: Mike Heiligenstein, Austin, Texas – Executive Director, Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority

• 1st Vice President: Javier Rodriguez, Miami, Florida –Executive Director, Miami-Dade Expressway Authority

• 2nd Vice President: Buddy Croft, Jamestown, Rhode Island – Executive Director, Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority

• Intl. Vice President: Emanuela Stocchi, Rome, Italy –Responsible for International Affairs, Associazione Italiana Societa Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori

• Immediate Past President: Rob Horr, Alexandria Bay, New York –Executive Director, Thousand Islands Bridge Authority

Mike Heiligenstein will serve as the President of IBTTA for one year. He previously served as the First Vice President of the association.

“Being chosen for this position by my colleagues is not only an honor but an acknowledgment of what the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has accomplished in the ten years since it was created,” said Mike Heiligenstein, Executive Director of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and 2014 IBTTA President. “Central Texas is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and that brings great challenges for mobility. Our organization is moving forward to deliver a regional transportation system of expressways that is seamless, enjoyable, safe, green, and reliable.”

The newly elected 2014 IBTTA Directors are:

• Chris Tomlinson, Executive Director, Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (term expires at the end of 2014)

• Chris Waszczuk, Administrator, New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Bureau of Turnpikes, Concord, NH (term expires at the end of 2014)

• Diane Scaccetti, Executive Director and CEO, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, FL (term expires at the end of 2016)

• Gerald Carrigan, Executive Director, North Texas Tollway Authority, Plano, TX (term expires at the end of 2017)

• Andrew Fremier, P.E., Deputy Executive Director, Bay Area Toll Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, CA (term expires at the end of 2017)

• Samuel Johnson, Director of Operations, San Diego Association of Government, San Diego, CA (term expires at the end of 2017)

• Tim Stewart, Executive Director, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Oklahoma City, OK (term expires at the end of 2017)

• Cynthia Ward, Director, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Washington, DC (term expires at the end of 2017)

In 2013, IBTTA launched Moving America Forward, a public awareness campaign that highlights the benefits of tolling to policymakers, the media, and other interested parties.