Lanny Wilson, a Wilmington developer and lawyer who resigned last week from the State Board of Transportation, today also gave up his seat as vice chairman of the N.C. Turnpike Authority.

Wilson was a key money man for the campaigns of former Gov. Mike Easley and Gov. Bev Perdue. He testified in a State Board of Elections hearing that he gave large checks to the Democratic Party that he expected would be in turn given to Easley's campaign.

He was a prominent part of the indictment issued last week against Easley aide Ruffin Poole. The indictment said Wilson helped Poole to invest in developments that Poole was also taking official actions to help.

"Just a quick email to advise you that I have submitted my resignation to the appropriate people in Senator Basnight's office," Wilson said today in e-mail to David Joyner, the turnpike authority's executive director. ... [MORE]

The N.C. Turnpike Authority awarded three contracts worth $37.6 million Friday for an all-electronic toll collection system for the 18.8-mile Triangle Expressway.

The Triangle Expressway is expected to open to traffic in 2011 in Research Triangle Park and in 2012 in western Wake County between RTP and Holly Springs. It is expected to be the first turnpike built in the United States without toll booths for collecting cash from drivers.

TriEx users will be identified with electronic transponders carried in their cars, or by video cameras that record license plate numbers.

Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services won two contracts worth $23.4 million to design and implement the toll collection and billing systems. URS Corporation, based in San Francisco, won a $15.3 million contract to staff and manage TriEx customer service facilities.