North Carolina

North Carolina DOT has a major I-95 planning & finance study under way that will provide much more solid estimates but our back-of-the-envelop calculations suggest the state should on opening be able to get in the range $300m to $350m/year in annual revenue from the planned tolling of I-95. As the economy grows, toll revenue on NC/I-95 would also grow.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority, part of NCDOT, has announced its short list of finalists for a design-build (DB) contract for the Monroe Connector/Bypass,  likely the second tollroad project in the state to move after the Triangle Expressway now under construction. The short list is:

A major new tollroad proposed in North Carolina is becoming an election issue. Kathy Harrington the likely new state senator for Gaston County, location for the proposed Garden Parkway, is campaigning as an opponent. The seat though held by a retiring Democrat is regarded by pollsters as a shoo-in for the GOP candidate and Harrington as the most conservative Republican leads in a 4-way primary.

North Carolina DOT has hired PBS&J and Baker to do an I-95 Corridor Plan & Finance study. The study to be completed by the fall of 2011 will look at requirements for maintaining and improving the interstate, project future traffic, conduct public outreach and examine financing options including tolls.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) have slimmed down their planned Garden Parkway on the westside of the Charlotte NC metro area to reduce its costs and make it fly financially. What was a $1280m project early 2009 has a year later been cut by 27% to $928m. Construction cost is dropped 35% from $1021m to $662m and right of way cost 7% from $191m to $179m.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) people say they have signed well priced contracts for all-electronic toll systems for the new Triangle Expressway. Overall cost of three of four toll procurements was $37.6m v $46.5 engineers' prior estimate - a 19% saving.

A route has been selected for a Gaston East-West Connector, a tollroad planned on the western edge of the greater Charlotte NC area. This is an important step toward completing environmental and planning clearances. The road is also known as Garden Parkway.

ACS State & Local have won two of the three major toll systems contracts just announced for the Triangle Expressway in North Carolina - Roadside Toll Collection and Back Office Systems. Washington Division of URS won Operations Services.

Rarely do grown men look as ridiculous in public as when dressed in suits and ties, name plates on their lapels, they don hardhats and stand in a line along some artificial mound of freshly dug soil with glitzily painted shovels to throw a ritual shovelful in a "groundbreaking ceremony." But the ole boys some call 'dignitaries' did it again this week, Aug 12.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority are planning to offer bonds to finance the Triangle Expressway July 1 hoping to start work a couple of weeks later on the billion dollar tollroad on the west of Raleigh. Their bonds were only rated BBB- which means they could pay a couple of percentage points higher than A-rated bonds. But they have legislative approval  (SB750) to do a refinancing whenever market conditions make that advantageous.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-05-28