Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse was recently elected to the prestigious Board of Directors for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the governing body representing owners, operators and businesses in the tolling industry. She was also named to the Women in Tolling Leadership Council and selected to serve on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Standing Committee of the Board of Directors. 

As a director, Rouse will help set the strategic direction for IBTTA and advocate for innovation in tolling to improve mobility and safety. The Board members also work together to act as a catalyst and incubator for innovation, to promote industry coordination and interoperability and to develop solutions that enhance transportation and sustainability. Her voice on the board and in these committees will help advocate for industry best practices, equitable representation in the workforce and within the industry as well as interagency cooperation with peer agencies. 

Rouse was elected to the IBTTA Board of Directors at the association’s annual meeting in October. She began her four-term term as a director for IBTTA effective January 2024. 

More than 250 engineering professionals attended the Professional Service Bulletin (PSB) 24-1 Workshop and Networking session in January.

The workshop included a pre-proposal conference on PSB 24-1 and the Illinois Tollway provided tips and advice on best practices for preparing efficient and effective Statements of Interest as well as information about Technical Assistance resources available to help firms to prepare to work with the Tollway.



PSB 24-1 includes requests for planning, engineering, design and construction management services for eight new contracts anticipated to be awarded in 2024. The contracts will provide for an estimated $28 million in contracts related to work in the 16-year, $15 billion Move Illinois capital program.  

His company typically focuses on project management services, but Ezekiel Garnett said he and other company leaders have been looking for opportunities to expand their business into new, rapidly growing technologies.

That’s why he signed up for a new class offered by the Illinois Tollway as part of its Emerging Technology Program that provided hands-on training in installing and servicing closed-circuit TV and video surveillance systems.

The recent two-and-a-half-day training program for local contractors administered by Axis Communications has Garnett studying ways to broaden the services provided by his company, Enspyre Management Services, to include working on surveillance and camera systems.