Triangle toll road to be toll booth free

Raleigh — Construction on North Carolina’s first toll road in modern history will begin next month after a state panel awarded contracts to build the Triangle Expressway.

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority on Wednesday said it awarded a combined $584 million in contracts to build two of the expressway’s three segments. The 19-mile highway will cut 20 minutes off travel time between southern Wake County and Research Triangle Park.

The panel reached the deals after securing $1 billion in toll revenue and state bonds and federal loans.

The expressway should be completely open to traffic in 2012 and have no tollbooths. Drivers will be charged through an electronic transponder in a car or cameras that will bill drivers using license plate information.

(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)