Few things in modern life are as resented—and as relied upon—as toll roads. It’s easy to overlook the systems that quietly keep a region running, especially when they come with a cost. For most, the benefit of a toll road ends at convenience: less traffic, fewer lights, a faster commute. But behind the quiet scan of a toll gantry is a deeper story—one that reflects the growth of a region and the vision it took to keep that growth from grinding to a halt.
We often think of history in terms of monuments and centuries. Still, the local and the recent can slip away unnoticed, especially when tied to something as seemingly mundane as a roadway.
In October of 2024, Sailforth Productions had the opportunity to sit down with Hal Worrall for a video commemorating the 30th anniversary of E-PASS. The video, produced by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) and Day Communications, sought to document not just the evolution of a toll system but also the local legacy of innovation that helped shape the future of transportation in Central Florida.
Hal Worrall served as Executive Director of what is now known as CFX from 1992 to 2004, during which time the agency was still known as the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA). With a background at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), where he served as Assistant Secretary for Finance and Administration, overseeing approximately 2,500 toll collectors, Hal brought a statewide understanding of infrastructure challenges to a region that was quickly outgrowing its roads.
“When I got here,” Hal recalled, “we were bringing in $39 million in gross annual toll revenue, but we had a $55 million debt service looming. If we didn’t act fast, the Authority would fail.” Hal was initially sent by FDOT to encourage local leaders to find solutions. That conversation escalated quickly. “Bobby Mandell, the chairman at the time, basically told me—well, not quite so politely—‘If you’re so smart, come down here and do it yourself.’ And that’s how I ended up in Orlando.”
Hal would go on to lead CFX through what he describes as “open-heart surgery” on the region’s toll system.
The Two-Mile Backup
In the early 1990s, Central Florida’s toll roads were a daily bottleneck. “Every single day,” Hal said, “we had a two-mile backup at Holland East, right by headquarters. Manually collecting tolls only allowed us to process about 400 vehicles per hour through each lane. And we had way more than that during peak times.”
The solution, Hal believed, was electronic tolling. But the technology was still in its infancy. “We were probably the third region in the country to do it,” he noted. “First was a bridge in New Orleans, then Oklahoma, and then us, more or less at the same time as Texas Turnpike.” At the time, the idea of removing toll booth gates and relying on machines to track and charge drivers was considered a risk. But the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
“We always had gates,” Hal explained. “Gates slowed down traffic, but they guaranteed revenue. The risk to revenue was real, but the need to keep traffic moving was even greater.”
With automatic coin machines, the best they could do was around 550 to 600 vehicles per hour—still far from enough. “We could never have built enough plaza space to process all the traffic at peak hours—or even during off-peak times—if we hadn’t developed ETC,” Hal reflected.
From Bumper-Mounted Tech to an Economic Lifeline
When E-PASS launched in 1994, it bore little resemblance to the sleek, sticker-style transponders people place on their windshields today. “It was a bumper-mounted transponder,” Hal said. “The antenna wasn’t on a gantry above the road—it was buried in the pavement. It was a Canadian system, and it worked surprisingly well for what we needed at the time.”
The shift was more than just technical—it was strategic. CFX installed ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems as a backup for transactions when transponders failed or weren’t present. “It wasn’t perfect,” Hal admitted. “But it moved traffic, and we captured most of the revenue.”
Over the next several years, the results were undeniable. “Revenue grew by 10 to 12 percent annually,” Hal said. “It made the Expressway Authority a financial success. And more importantly, it kept Central Florida moving.”
Toll Roads as Arteries
For Hal, the entire philosophy behind E-PASS and electronic tolling could be summed up with a metaphor. “I used to say it’s like the human body,” he said. “You’ve got arteries and veins—some are critical. But if your arteries get clogged, you’re going to have a heart attack. It’s the same with our transportation system.”
He pointed out that the majority of services, commerce, and even tourism-related activity in the region depend on rubber-tire transportation. “Not rail, not air—tires on pavement,” he emphasized. “At the time, 96 percent of vehicles on our roads were local commuters, not tourists. These roads are lifelines.”
If the toll roads had remained manual, the cost would have gone beyond frustration—it would’ve been a breakdown of the region’s economic future. “We couldn’t have built enough toll plazas to handle the volume,” Hal said. “Without electronic tolling, this region’s growth would have been stifled.”
Looking back, Hal is clear: the implementation of electronic tolling wasn’t just a technical upgrade. It was a foundational shift that enabled the region’s explosive growth. “Without E-PASS, we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “The economy just would not be what it is today in Orlando. Nor would the surrounding areas.
A Legacy That Still Moves Us
Today, E-PASS has become a seamless part of life for millions of Central Floridians. What began as a bold adaptation in response to mounting traffic and financial pressure has now become a cornerstone of the region’s infrastructure.
Sailforth was proud to help tell this story—not just one of roads and technology, but of leadership under pressure, public trust, and long-term vision. Behind every toll road is a deeper story—not just of revenue and pavement, but of the people who saw a better way forward. As E-PASS turns 30, we’re honored to share the story of how electronic tolling came to life in Central Florida—a tale that still moves us and one that continues to propel this region forward.
