concession

Michigan DOT say they expect to have a law in place for a P3 concession to build a new international toll bridge over the Detroit River before the end of the year. HB4961 is the bill. The Canadians already have the legal framework for a toll concession.

Michigan DOT envisage a "partnership" with Transport Canada, the national DOT with defined roles for other stakeholders such as FHWA, Ministry Transportation Ontario and border services agencies.

The Illiana Expressway is being pushed in the Indiana legislature as private toll concession. Bills are moving in the Indiana state legislature to allow the expressway to proceed as a toll concession. The state senate bill SB382 has been approved by the transportation committee. A similar house bill HB1312 has yet to be voted.

Regardless of party, state governors are opposing moves in the US Congress to second guess their arrangements for privatization of roads, toll concessions, or public private partnerships.

Michigan legislators have passed language in their budget for next fiscal year to prepare the way for concessioning a third toll crossing to Canada from Detroit. The budget contains $2.5m for the Michigan DOT to continue to advance preliminary legal, financial, engineering and environmental permitting to prepare for seeking a private sector toll concessionaire to finance, build, and operate the bridge.

Mississippi DOT (MsDOT) have announced "suspension" of the procurement process for a private sector concession to build the state's first tollroad in the modern era - Jackson Airport Parkway.

The Russians been talking about upgrading the 650km (405mi) road between Moscow and St Petersburg with toll concessions for about a decade now, during which time China's provinces have opened about 15,000 kilometers of toll expressway using scores of private companies investments.

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.

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

Mississippi DOT's procurement of a toll concessionaire to build a new Airport Parkway tollroad for the state capital of Jackson is delayed several months by the world financial crisis. But the official leading the process is optimistic it will proceed. A final Request for Proposals was issued March 12 and there's now a June 15 deadline for proposals.

Florida DOT says they got no bids for the toll concession they were offering on Alligator Alley. Four major international groups had registered interest and been advanced to the bid stage. There was already one delay in the deadline for bids.

North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) signed a project development agreement today with an ACS-led group that gives them a right of first refusal on building the Outer Banks' Mid-Currituck bridge as a longterm toll concession. Environmental permitting is under way. The development group will bear the bulk of the costs of remaining project development including:

Florida DOT is giving bidders for the Alligator Alley (I-75) toll concession an extra ten days. Bidders have told FDOT they need more time beyond the latest May 8 bid deadline in order to put borrowings in place.

New deadline for bids is May 18.

Legislation is moving through the Texas legislature to virtually preclude further private tollroad development in the state. SB17 sponsored by state senator Robert Nichols (Republican) builds on SB792 the 'moratorium' bill of 2007 and is even more hostile to private toll concessions.

Despite the forbidding financial climate some big projects seem to be going to financial close, though others are delayed. Florida's 595 Express successfully closed March 3, with simultaneous signings of nearly $800m of bank loans and $200m in equity in New York City, some $700m of TIFIA loans in Washington DC, and contract document signings at District 4 FDOT offices in Ft Lauderdale.

TxDOT has announced that a Cintra/Meridiam/Dallas police/fireman's pension system team are the preferred investors in a 52 year toll concession to finance, build, operate and toll "The New LBJ" or I-635 Managed Lanes Project, an expansion to 14 travel lanes from 8 of the major east-west expressway across the northern part of Dallas.Operating under the pro

Virginia's transportation commissioner Pierce Homer told us in a telephone interview he's very hopeful that the HOT lanes project on I-395 and I-95 from the Pentagon south toward Fredericksburg will prove viable, but he says it's not a sure thing.

Texas DOT is signing a toll concession with an international group led by Cintra to do about $1.6 billion worth of work rebuild some 20km (13 miles) of old freeway into frontage, free and toll lanes and get planning work and rights to negotiate up to several billion dollars more of the North Tarrant Express project. TxDOT got bids from the Cintra-led Group called NTE Mobility Partners (NTEMP) and from Spain based OHL.

A new Detroit Windsor toll bridge has got its final permits from the US Government, marking a further important step toward improving connectivity in the most important US-Canadian trade route. The new bridge planned about two miles (3.2km) downstream of the Ambassador Bridge including some 15km (9 miles) of road would provide a high quality direct connection between I-75 in Michigan and H401 in Ontario.

Three groups have expressed interest in public private partnerships (P3s) with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission over two projects on the Southern Beltway and the northern portion of the Mon Fayette Expressway. The groups are:

1. MVP3 (Mon Valley Public Private Partners)

- HDR Inc./Kimball Corp./Gannett Fleming Inc./Figg Engineering Group, design

The global financial crisis has prompted the postponement of the bid deadline for a toll concession to operate Alligator Alley (I-75) across southern Florida. Florida DOT, the concession grantor says the new deadline is May 8. Previously bids were due Jan 9.

A statement by FDOT says that the global financial uncertainty adversely affected the ability of potential bidders to move forward at this time. Potential bidders had asked for the delay.