Colorado Department of Transportation Selects Bentley's Advanced Routing and Permitting Solution; Automated Routing, Permitting, Reporting and Financial System for Use Statewide.

Business Editors

EXTON, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 2002

Bentley Systems, Incorporated today announced that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has chosen Bentley's Advanced Routing and Permitting System (ARPS) to streamline issuing, tracking and reporting of oversize and overweight permits.

To be used by the CDOT Permit Office and Bridge Unit, the Colorado Department of Revenue, the Colorado state patrol, and the trucking industry, the system will automate routing and allow permitting via the Internet. The contract includes software, integration and implementation services, as well as training and support.

"The Bentley solution will improve our ability to determine the shortest, safest routes based on a range of criteria, taking into consideration laws, regulations, policies, procedures and even current conditions," said Teresa Lawser, permitting and routing project manager for CDOT. "A key factor in selecting Bentley ARPS was its compatibility with AASHTO's Virtis(R) bridge load analysis and rating system."

"Our primary goals are to automate the permitting process for all permit types and reduce processing time for superloads, or carriers over 200,000 pounds, which today can take 5 days or more. We expect to dramatically shorten permit turnaround time and significantly improve our bridge engineers' workload."

Internet access will enable the motor carrier industry to self-apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and handle payments with escrow accounts or credit cards. The system will provide direct links with CDOT's financial system to offer real-time accounting.

Among a host of transaction capabilities, it will compute fees, produce automatic account statements and histories, and track payments against accounts. Law enforcement and Port of Entry personnel will use electronic access to quickly review and confirm permitting activities.

System implementation will follow a phased approach with completion slated for October 2003.

Integral to completion is fully functional Internet access, full implementation of and integration with Virtis software from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and compliance with permitting standards established by the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO) in its "Western Regional Agreement for the Issuance of Permits for Overweight and/or Oversize Vehicles and/or Loads Involved in Interstate Travel."

"Our final phase will bring compliance with WASHTO-authorized standards, enabling us to issue Western Regional Permits," says Lawser. "We are very excited to expedite the purchase of the WASHTO permits, allowing the industry to buy one permit and travel with it in multiple states."

ARPS automates the entire process involved with permitting and routing extra-legal loads; addressing application compliance; determining safe, expedient routes; tracking permit applications through the process; issuing and automatically delivering permits; assessing proper fees; and performing accounting for permit transactions.

"Bentley's ARPS, the market leading routing and permitting solution, is part of Bentley's expanding portfolio of operations and management solutions for transportation agencies," says Ted Johnson, Bentley director of industry marketing, transportation. "ARPS not only streamlines the permitting process, but it also provides significant cost savings and increases safety for highway users."

Bentley employs a structured, proven methodology for implementation and automation of oversize/overweight permitting and routing solutions. The company's complete approach to planning, implementing and supporting ARPS provides U.S. state departments of transportation with a no-risk implementation strategy that ensures project success.

Bentley transportation operations and management solutions are in place in ten states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Bentley's software for design and engineering of transportation infrastructure is the choice of 46 U.S. state departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

About Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated is a global provider of collaborative software solutions that enable our users to create, manage and publish architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) content. As a part of those solutions, Bentley provides professional services including implementation, integration, customization and training.

For more information, call 1-800-BENTLEY or visit us on the Web at www.bentley.com.

Bentley and the "B" logo are registered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or Bentley Software, Inc. Virtis is a registered trademark of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.