Boards Approve Agencies’ Customer Service Phone System Migration to Cloud Technology
At their February 9 meeting, the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA) and the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) Boards of Directors approved upgrading the customer service phone system to a cloud-based platform.
The migration to cloud-based technology will increase customer convenience and better support the Agencies’ more than 2.2 million FasTrak® accountholders. The upgrade will allow the Agencies to add new customer service features, including a self-service, speech-enabled interactive voice response (IVR), virtual assistants and the ability to enhance quality through a call and a screen recording feature.
The Boards approved an extension to the term of the existing phone system contract with Avtex, with the additional scope to migrate, maintain and support the cloud-based system, through 2026. The Boards also approved a two-year contract with Communications Advantage, Inc. to support the migration process.
Boards Approved State and Federal Legislative Platforms
The F/ETCA and SJHTCA Boards of Directors unanimously approved the Agencies’ 2023-2024 State and Federal Legislative Platforms.
The two platforms outline the statutory, regulatory, legislative and administrative goals of the Agencies and will serve as the Boards’ policy guidelines throughout the upcoming 2023-2024 State Legislative session and 118th Congress.
Highlights of the platforms include:
- Monitoring and engaging as necessary on legislation and regulations that could impact TCA’s authorizing statutes or hinder the Agencies’ ability to develop and deliver projects.
- Monitoring bills that would potentially impact the meeting structure and potential continuation of hybrid meeting options.
- Evaluating challenges to national interoperability and working with other toll road operators to pursue legislative solutions that ensure state laws do not prohibit the industry’s ability to operate efficiently.
- Positioning the Agencies to pursue competitive grants for innovative concepts that support enhancements in safety, throughput and environmental outcomes.
TCA Hires New Chief Capital Projects Officer
Newly hired Chief Capital Programs Officer Stephanie Blanco was introduced at the February 9 meeting.
Blanco brings more than 20 years of planning, project delivery and management experience to TCA in a career that has included roles at Caltrans, Los Angeles Metro, the private sector, and most recently, the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) where she worked extensively on toll facilities. Blanco, who began her role at TCA in January, has broad experience in environmental planning and project management roles with increasing responsibility.
TCA Directors Appointed to Represent Agencies on Regional Boards
The F/ETCA and SJHTCA Boards of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of F/ETCA Vice Chair Trish Kelley as the Agencies’ Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) representative and reappointment of Director Scott Voigts as the Agencies’ Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) representative.
Vice Chair Kelley will serve a two-year term. TCA became a member of the SCAG Regional Council in 2010, giving TCA a vote on regional policies that could impact The Toll Roads’ network, as well as a voice on transportation policy planning for the region.
Vice Chair Kelley replaces former Director Peggy Huang, who served as the TCA representative to SCAG from 2017 to 2022.
