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ERC may refund tolls billed after 60 days, CEO says [The Virginian-Pilot]
[September 26, 2014]

ERC may refund tolls billed after 60 days, CEO says [The Virginian-Pilot]


(Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 26--PORTSMOUTH -- UPDATE, 2:45: Elizabeth River Crossings CEO Greg Woodsmall was non-committal this afternoon when asked if the company will be offering refunds. Woodsmall said people who believe they have been billed improperly should call ERC's customer service at 1-855-ERT-ROAD, and that they would be handled on a case-by-case basis.



Woodsmall said the billing problems experienced by motorists at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels are not acceptable, and that beginning Oct. 1, the company will no longer mail invoices to motorists for tolls that are more than 60 business days old.

Woodsmall also released a plan that lists a number of actions that he said his company will be following to improve its performance. In a briefing with reporters, Woodsmall would not discuss the causes behind the billing problems, saying instead that the focus should be on the future.


"What we need to do is focus on going forward," he said.

UPDATE, noon: Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne said this morning that Elizabeth River Crossings told him it would refund tolls billed more than 60 days after the date of the trip, but that motorists had to request the refunds.

ERC spokeswoman Leila Rice said she couldn't confirm the refund policy because she hadn't been briefed about it. But she did say ERC would not pursue collections on tolls that were billed more than 60 business days after the trip, based on the date of the invoice.

___ EARLIER: Elizabeth River Crossings delivered a performance improvement plan this morning in response to complaints over the company's toll operation at the Downtown and Midtown tunnels, a spokeswoman said.

Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne demanded last week that ERC put such a plan in writing by Oct. 1 to address concerns over bills to motorists that were coming months after trips were made. The late bills are among a host of problems that have arisen since the company started charging and collecting tolls Feb. 1.

Layne said this morning that ERC told him it would refund tolls billed more than 60 days after the trip was made, but that motorists had to request the refunds. Also, anyone with an existing bill more than 60 days old would not have to pay it.

The fees are part of a public-private contract with the state to build a second Midtown Tunnel, extend a freeway in Portsmouth, renovate the old tunnels, and privately operate and maintain the roads for 58 years.

Leila Rice, a spokeswoman for ERC, said the company's CEO, Greg Woodsmall, handed over an improvement plan this morning. The company was waiting to comment further until Layne had a chance to make public remarks about the situation, she said.

Layne is scheduled to talk to the media about the tunnel tolls later this morning in Virginia Beach, after a ceremony marking the completion of the Nimmo Parkway construction project.

___ For more details, return to PilotOnline.com later and read tomorrow's Virginian-Pilot.

___ (c)2014 The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) Visit The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) at pilotonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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