News

US undersecretary for transportation policy Roy Kienitz is saying that the Obama administration wants to see more rigorous "project evaluation" and "investment performance assessment" of new highway projects financed with US taxes. He has obviously been leading a sheltered life in central Pennsylvania. Anyone around here could tell him that the US Congress already has a well honed Project Evaluation Process (PEP).

West Virginia Turnpike Authority's board voted unanimously today (Wed 2009-07-01) to raise tolls effective August 1. The increases will be the first since 1981, and are designed to increase toll revenue by about $20m/year - from $53.3m to $73.1m or 37% in 2010, the first full year they are in effect.

Tampa Hillsboro (Toll) Expressway Authority (THEA) say they've settled with URS' insurer on $74,750,000 in compensation for flawed design work revealed in a collapse of their Selmon Expressway elevated ('El') while under construction in April 2004.

North Texas Tollway Authority on the President George Bush Turnpike and E470 Public Highway Authority in Denver CO will cease all cash toll collection this week. The conversions to all-electronic tolling (AET) will be very differently conducted.

Just 36 hours before a big toll increase was due to come into effect (on July 1) the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board voted 5 to 0 to rescind toll increases voted earlier in the year. The vote today was based on passage of budget legislation providing for an increase in the state sales tax from 5.0% to 6.25% and the appropriation of $100 million per year toward servicing of Turnpike debt for the term of that debt - about 20 years.

by Payson R Peabody, Dykema       Members of Congress who believe in fiscal responsibility, tax fairness, and state autonomy should think twice about endorsing the highway reauthorization bill that began working its way through Congress on Wednesday. The bipartisan legislation crafted by House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) severely restricts one of the most viable options

US Rep Pete DeFazio issued a statement today claiming that the solution to a funding gap in the proposed $450 billion six year highway and transit program is a tax on oil futures trades. DeFazio proposes a 0.02% tax on every oil futures contract and a 0.5% tax on futures option contracts. He says this would raise $190b over the six years of the STAA reauthorization, "more than enough to fill the gap." That's $32b/year.

Michigan DOT have gone to court to try to force the Ambassador Bridge company to build connections to the interstate highways nearby in conformity with a contract for a project called the Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project.  The court case is one of a series of disputes and litigation the Bridge company - called Detroit River Bridge Company or DIBC - is involved in.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in its protracted bargaining with the state today (2008-06-24) postponed a scheduled meeting on toll rates to Monday (2008-06-29). The Turnpike has voted to raise tolls by about 60% July 1, but board members say they'll cancel the hikes if they get $100m/year in support from the state budget. That $100m/year subsidy must continue for the term of $2200m of bonds they floated to pay for the untolled Big Dig.

Florida DOT is restarting the procurement of a toll concession to build and operate the Jacksonville First Coast Outer Beltway. This week they lodged a notice withdrawing the first procurement which was delayed about a year while the state obtained legislation exempting concessionaires from property tax.

by Marcus J. Lemon

On June 18, 2009, the leaders of the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee published a blueprint of their proposed $450 billion six-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program. 

The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA or hb44) filed today by US house transport committee chair James Oberstar requires the US Secretary of Transportation to establish a "national standard for the interoperability of electronic toll collection devices for all  toll facilities on the National Highway System" within 18 months of the law's enactment.

Washington state is a hot spot for new toll projects - and big, bold projects to boot. We reported recently on the array of alternatives being considered for the longrange transportation plan for the region - all of which involve substantial reliance on tolls - plus acceptance of tolls on the presently untolled 520 bridge ahead of construction of a wider replacement bridge, but there's more.

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority will cease to exist by Jan 1 2010 under a reorganization bill (sb2087) agreed between the two houses of the state legislature.

The US House transportation committee's 'Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009' (STAA2009) released today proposes a heavy hit on tolling, road pricing and traffic management. It would revoke four longstanding federal legal authorities for tolling while providing general authority to control toll projects at a new "Office of Public Benefit" within FHWA.

STAA2009 would terminate:

Dallas Morning News' Michael Lindenberger got the story first that the recently signed 52 year concession contract between Cintra and partners and TxDOT for the North Tarrant Express project is being held up by the state Attorney General, Greg Abbott on the grounds that it is not "legally sufficient." He has been arguing that the contract is unconstitutional  and the News quotes him: "The Texas Constitution says that one Legislature cannot financ

Mexican toll and motor vehicle registry authorities are cooperating to deploy sticker tags on the windshield of every vehicle in the country.

Detroit's battle of the bridges took a new turn today with the US Government putting on hold the permitting of a new Ambassador bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

Wyoming is moving to toll I-80, the only interstate which spans the state from east to west. Parsons Brinckerhoff were recently asked by Wyoming DOT (WYDOT) to continue their engineering and toll studies.

Statisticians at the Federal Highways' Policy Information office say the latest data from 4,000 traffic counters around the country show continuing decline in traffic this year but at a lesser rate than the decline of last year.  Their 12 month moving average shows declines of around  a tenth of a percent (one thousandth) per month the past several months - about a third of the average rate of fall last year.