Value 158 www. bus- ex. com NOVEMBER 09 mile the by

Florida's Turnpike is using its money prudently in straitened times, getting more value for its dollars and delivering a great service to residents and visitors alike. John O'Hanlon speaks to chief operating officer Jennifer Olson and director of planning and production Will Sloup A turnpike is nothing more than a road financed by tolls paid by its users. Though the original cost of building Florida's Turnpike was met by long-term bonds, its revenue today comes from tolls collected on the 460- mile statewide system and from concession sales- more than $ 700 million annually. Toll roads help meet Florida's transportation needs by providing and operating roadways financed by toll dollars, which are in addition to the roadways built and maintained by other districts funded by gas- tax dollars. Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is structured as one of the eight districts within the Department of Transportation, but it is radically different from its sister districts, explains chief operating officer Jennifer Olson. " We are a system- related rather than a geographical district and operate across six of the other districts. We coordinate with them in matters affecting their areas." FTE also differs from the others in that only 10 percent of the people working on its operations are state employees; the other 90 percent are employed by contractors or consultants- for example, the people who actually collect the tolls. Florida's growth has been severely impacted by the recession. The state has suffered more job losses and foreclosures than most, and the rate of economic growth on the highway system tends to mirror that of the state as a whole, says director of planning and production Will Sloup. " Because of that, our management has really focused on efficiencies in the last year, cutting the cost of motoring for the general public as well as the cost of running the system. One objective has been to exercise fiscal prudence in the downturn so that when business starts to ramp up again we'll have a sound basis to fund future projects." Tourism has been hit as much as commerce, Sloup continues. For the second year running, the turnpike Florida's Turnpike Enterprise NOVEMBER 09 www. bus- ex. com 159 mile