- I-405 Express Revenue Is Three Times Projections. New Operating Rules Become Law.
- New Study Shows Drivers Prefer Tolls over Taxes, but Columnist Says No Dice
- Class-Action Suit Targets Use of Dulles Toll Road Money for Rail Project
- Battle over Texas 45 SW Enters Crucial (Final?) Phase
- TransCore Wins Landmark VDOT Contract and Completes 37.8-Miles of Texas AET Installation
- IL Tollway Pushes for More Participation by Minority Contractors
- Review Recommends NTTA Raise ZipCash Rate and Improve Call Center
- Decision to Go Light on Asphalt Doesn't Work Out for TX Toll 49
- Tappan Zee Crane Collapse Sparks Review of Traffic Diversion Plan
- CT Political Battle over Mileage Tax Continues
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Video Makes the Case for a Toll Hike
- AC Expressway Revenue Up
- Fitch on KY Bridge Project Bonds
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I-405 Express Revenue Is Three Times Projections. New Operating Rules Become Law.
The Herald (Everett, WA) reports that, “A temporary change that has allowed cars, trucks and motorcycles to travel in the I-405 express toll lanes for free on nights and weekends since March is getting cemented into law.” The report adds that WSDOT tolling chief Patty Rubstello told the Washington State Transportation Commission that, “In the first nine months of operation (through May 2016), gross toll revenue totaled $10.56 million, more than three times the projected amount.”
Washington StateNew Study Shows Drivers Prefer Tolls over Taxes, but Columnist Says No Dice
The Washington Post columnist Fredrick Kunkle looks at the results of new study by Indiana State University showing that American motorists prefer tolls to taxes, and says, “That’s odd. I’d take the fuels tax any day — and especially instead of a new mileage tax.” The study looked at five methods of compensating for the decline in fuel tax revenues and found that, “Thirty-four percent would go along with a greater reliance on tolls, while 29 percent would support raising fuel taxes, the researchers found.”
Class-Action Suit Targets Use of Dulles Toll Road Money for Rail Project
The Washington Post asks, “Could Dulles Toll Road users get some of their money back? That’s the aim of a recently filed [class-action] lawsuit that challenges the use of toll road dollars to fund the Silver Line rail project. The 66-page suit . . . names the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and the U.S. Department of Transportation as defendants.”
Virginia Washington (DC) Metro RegionBattle over Texas 45 SW Enters Crucial (Final?) Phase
Austin American Statesman reports, “The next six weeks will be crucial in the long-running fight over whether to build Texas 45 Southwest. CTRMA is expected to select a contractor for the $80 million project on July 27. On August 12, a federal judge will hear arguments on a motion to dismiss a lawsuit by activists who claim that CTRMA and TxDOT erred in conducting an environmental review for the project.” If the suit is dismissed, CTRMA plans to start clearing trees from the right of way in October.
TexasTransCore Wins Landmark VDOT Contract and Completes 37.8-Miles of Texas AET Installation
TransCore announced that its receipt of a VDOT contract to provide the dynamic pricing toll technology for the I-66 inside-the-beltway project “represents the first instance in the United States where volume-based dynamic pricing will be utilized along an entire roadway corridor to manage growing traffic congestion during peak periods.” The company added that it has created and operated “more than 470 miles of express lanes from California to Texas, Florida, and now Virginia.”
TransCore also announced it recently finished the installation of 37.8 miles of all-electronic toll system equipment along the Grand Parkway in metro Houston. The Fort Bend Grand Parkway Toll Road Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation chose TransCore to design, implement and maintain the comprehensive toll collection systems for the entire Grand Parkway, and for two segments of the Fort Bend Tollway and the Westpark Tollway.
Texas Virginia Washington (DC) Metro RegionIL Tollway Pushes for More Participation by Minority Contractors
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) reports, “Facing a shortfall in minority contractors, Illinois tollway directors Wednesday [July 20] took steps to increase participation by businesses owned by women, Hispanics, blacks and Asians” in its construction programs. The report adds that the agency will offer mentoring and training for minority businesses and will look at offering incentives to big construction companies to hire more minority-owned subcontractors.
Illinois Transportation and Infrastructure Leadership And Workforce DiversityReview Recommends NTTA Raise ZipCash Rate and Improve Call Center
Community Impact Newspaper reports that North Texas Tollway Authority board members and county judges have received an updated financial and performance review report on the agency that recommends, among other things, “raising the ZipCash [pay-by-mail] premium rate and creating a better call center experience for customers.” The consulting firm that conducted the study states, “Our general conclusion is that NTTA has made significant strides since [its previous, 2011] county review.”
TexasDecision to Go Light on Asphalt Doesn't Work Out for TX Toll 49
KXXV-TV News (Waco) reports that motorists are complaining about the bumpy ride on a segment of Toll 49 in Smith County. The North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority (NET RMA) attributes the pothole problem, in part, to a decision to apply only four inches of asphalt during 2013 construction. “TxDOT suggested the reduction as part of a value engineering exercise to help cut the initial costs, said NET RMA representatives.”
TexasTappan Zee Crane Collapse Sparks Review of Traffic Diversion Plan
The Journal News (Westchester County) reports, “Rockland’s emergency response to the Tappan Zee Bridge closure generally went well, authorities say, though the county’s traffic diversion plan will likely be revised because of the experience.”
Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge (Tappan Zee Replacement Bridge) New YorkCT Political Battle over Mileage Tax Continues
Hartford Courant reports, “The state Department of Transportation’s decision to endorse a grant application to study a mileage tax continues to provide fodder for political sparring. On Wednesday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reiterated his opposition to a mileage tax. But he also said the state needs to address the looming problem of reduced income from the gas tax as electric vehicles become more popular.”
Connecticut Road Use Charging (RUC-MBUF-VMT)Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Video Makes the Case for a Toll Hike
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) publishes a video simulation depicting the shoulder construction proposed by Lake Pontchartrain Causeway staff who are recommending a toll increase to finance that project and other safety improvements.
The Times-Picayune also reports that most of the speakers at a July 20 public meeting were critical of the recommended improvement program and toll hike, and called for alternatives.
Louisiana Toll Rate ChangesAC Expressway Revenue Up
Press of Atlantic City reports, “The Atlantic City Expressway collected $35.7 million worth of tolls in the first six months of this year, a 2.4 percent jump over the same period last year.”
New JerseyFitch on KY Bridge Project Bonds
Fitch Ratings announced that it has affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ rating for the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority’s approximately $297.4 million Downtown Crossing project revenue bonds. Fitch has also affirmed its ‘BBB-‘ rating on the $452.2 million Downtown Crossing project notes 2013 series and a 2013 TIFIA loan. The Rating Outlook on all debt is “Stable.”
Investment Ratings Kentucky Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges