Metro Express Lanes

The Challenge  

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) operates the Metro ExpressLanes, a toll express-lanes system on local highways in Los Angeles County. Partnering with TransCore, a company that manages toll operations, they required a new website to effectively inform drivers about toll policies, rates, and clean-air vehicle benefits. Prioritizing both user security and experience, they sought a site that would ensure high data protection standards while offering clear, intuitive access to key information.

Fahrenheit Marketing was tasked with designing and developing this new website to be visually appealing, easy to update, and compliant with stringent security standards.

Resilient Security Architecture

Given the nature of data handled by Metro ExpressLanes, the security architecture was designed to address potential cybersecurity risks preemptively. The following measures were key:

Collaborative Security Assessments: Fahrenheit Marketing works closely with Metro ExpressLanes and TransCore to conduct regular security evaluations, ensuring that any vulnerabilities are swiftly identified and addressed in line with industry standards.
Data Backup and Recovery Protocols: Robust backup procedures securely protect data off-site with encryption, safeguarding against potential data loss from cyber incidents or system issues.
Data Minimization Practices: The infrastructure was strategically designed to minimize the exposure of sensitive user information, ensuring only essential data is processed securely.

High Availability and Uptime Assurance

The requirement was a system capable of achieving 99.99% uptime reliability, which is critical to maintaining customer service across the region. Fahrenheit Marketing implemented a multi-layered architecture that includes redundant servers to enhance both security and availability. This architecture is built to withstand hardware failures, cyber threats, and traffic surges, ensuring continuous site operation.

Key features include:

Redundant Architecture: Designed with redundant servers, the system can handle traffic fluctuations and maintain service even during hardware or network disruptions, eliminating single points of failure and maximizing uptime.
Secure, Encrypted Backups: Daily backups stored securely off-site ensure rapid data recovery capabilities and protect against data loss.
Advanced Traffic Management: Intelligent load balancing distributes traffic to optimize site performance and prevent downtime while also enhancing defenses against server overloads and cyber threats.

The Results

Since its launch, the Metro ExpressLanes website has become a reliable information hub for Los Angeles drivers. With a robust security framework, the site operates efficiently and meets high data privacy and uptime reliability standards.

Key Achievements:

Secure Data Transmission: User data for the Clean Air Vehicle Program is handled without storage on the website servers, reducing potential vulnerabilities.
Proactive Security Management: Continuous assessments and prompt resolution of any vulnerabilities protect the site from potential threats.
High Reliability and Uptime: The resilient infrastructure ensures uninterrupted access, meets Metro ExpressLanes’ uptime standards and minimizes costly downtime risks.