E-470 Board Approved Measures Today to Restructure and Lower the Cost of Civil Penalties and Fees

Aurora – The E-470 board of directors today (Thursday, May 13) approved several measures aimed at boosting toll collections by making fees and penalties associated with late or unpaid toll payments more affordable, including a temporary waiver of the $70 civil penalty if paid by June 2.

The measures approved include:

* A one-time opportunity to have the $70 civil penalty for each unpaid toll transaction waived if toll violators pay their tolls and administrative fees now through June 2.
* On June 3, the civil penalty for each unpaid toll transaction will be permanently reduced from the current $70 level to $25.
* Also on June 3, the $7 administrative fee per toll transaction for past-due tolls will be eliminated. There will be a single $5 late fee on a second License Plate Toll bill covering all past-due tolls during a billing cycle.

According to E-470 Acting Executive Director John McCuskey, “The proposed changes are aimed at being more customer-friendly by making the cost of a civil penalty more affordable while, at the same time, boosting toll collection. Our goal is to collect the toll without imposing a civil penalty.”

Regarding the temporary civil penalty waiver, customers who currently hold a first or final notice of toll violation, or a Hearing Officer’s Final Order, will have applicable civil penalties waived if they pay their unpaid tolls and associated administrative fees by June 2. E-470 is encouraging customers to make their payments online at EXpressToll.com and click on “Pay My Violation,” or they may call the EXpressToll Service Center at 303-537-3470, option 4; out-of-area customers may call 1-888-946-3470, option 4.

Under the current structure of administrative fees and civil penalties, the cost of toll violations can mount rapidly. If a License Plate Toll customer fails to pay a toll bill by the due date, there is a $7 administrative fee per transaction, in addition to each $70 civil penalty.

McCuskey said, “The primary reason we are offering a waiver of the civil penalty through June 2 is to facilitate an operational transition in the billing and civil penalty process by June 3.”

E-470 converted to all-cashless tolling on July 4, 2009. Customers now pay either through a pre-paid, transponder-based EXpressToll account (and receive a 10 percent discount on E-470) or via License Plate Toll. Through the License Plate Toll system, photos are taken of the front and rear license plates, and the registered owner of the vehicle receives a bill in the mail.

E-470 is a tollway that runs along the eastern perimeter of the Denver metropolitan area. The 70-mph highway extends 47 miles from State Highway C-470 at I-25 in Douglas County, ending at I-25 just south of 160th Ave., in Thornton.