Florida

Florida's Turnpike have 800 coin machine vaults that are surplus and if any toll authority can use them, they're going for free.  Jackie Ives-Giles at the Central Repair Department in Pompano Beach says they'd hate to see them go to the junkyard if someone can use them.

In the artsy, historic Ybor City area of Tampa less than two miles (3km) northeast of downtown Tampa construction has begun of the I-4/Selmon Crosstown Expressway Connector. It is in essence  an elaborate interchange between the two parallel highways at a point where they are less than a mile - 1400m or 4570ft (0.86 miles) apart, measuring them from the centerline of each roadway reservation.

Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) is likely to follow Florida's Turnpike in offering sticker-tag transponders free. They have already been giving away limited numbers of the E-PASS Minis - as they are called - in special promotions. Staff have proposed free issue of sticker tags be regularized and the board of the authority is expected to formally endorse the proposal when they meet Jan 27.

Tolling is scheduled to begin in the two southbound express lanes on the far left side of FL/I-95 between the Golden Glades Interchange and downtown Miami Friday January 15 05:30. Tolls have been collected on two express lanes northbound in the afternoons since December 5 2008.

November 22 and 23 Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) opened 1.4km (0.86 miles) of two extra lanes eastbound on the FL408 East-West Expressway over the Lake Underhill Bridge between Conway Rd to Crystal Lake Drive. This links two recently widened segments either side eliminating a "pinch point".

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.

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.

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.

John Land Apopka Expressway TOLL 414 (FL414) fully opened to traffic Friday afternoon, the seventh tollroad in the Olrando Florida metro area and the fifth of Orlando Orange County (Toll) Expressway Authority (OOCEA). A western portion of TOLL 414 opened to transponder-equipped E-PASS, SunPass traffic February 14 but now the whole tollroad is open at noon today (2009-05-15) including cash payers.

Jacksonville Florida's Outer Beltway project is being revived. Legislation has just been passed clarifying uncertainties in the state's tax treatment of toll concessions, and Governor Crist is expected to sign it any day. Florida DOT's lawyer in charge of toll concession procurement Clay McGonagill told us this morning: "This (legislation) removes a major stumbling block. It's a big help.

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.

Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) has done a partial opening of their fifth tollroad. Saturday Feb 14 they cut the ribbon on TOLL-414 and about two-thirds of its length is open to motorists with Florida transponders.

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.

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.

Dave Aronberg, a Democrat state senator and minority whip seems to be "doing a Carona" - flipping from support of privatization when it isn't controversial to strongly opposing it once a particular project attracts criticism. Aronberg is introducing two bills in the state senate:

- to impose a two year moratorium on signing toll concession/lease agreements on existing facilities

Florida DOT has chosen a group led by ACS Infrastructure Development (ACSID) for an availability contract to redevelop I-595 in the Fort Lauderdale area with new toll lanes, bus lanes and improved interchanges in a deal that will cost $1,796 million. ACSID will provide the equity under which the group also including another Spain based toll and construction company Dragados and a Florida builder will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the facility for 35 years.

Nothing stimulates local self-help like a "No, sorry, we can't help" from on high. After Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) recently told Manatee County on the west coast that it can't build the Fort Hamer Bridge the county commissioners only took days to decide to go it alone. A decade of lobbying for FDOT and the feds to fund a bridge had gone nowhere. The state Turnpike was the last hope of help from higher levels of government.

Two groups submitted proposals Friday for the approx-$1.5 billion upgrades to I-595, south Florida's east-west mega-highway/distributor project. It involves upgrades of the present 8 lane interstate with discontinuous frontage roads to a basic 19 lanes along 17km (10.5 miles) of the highway to a 3/5/3/5/3 lanes format, Texas style.

A Brisa, CCR, JPMorgan team titled A2 Transportation Partners (A2TP) topped the score in a rating of firms qualifications for the Alligator Alley toll concession in Florida. A2TP was followed by Cintra-led team (Everglades Parkway Partners) and Atlantia the big Italian motorway operator previously named Autostrade. Brisa is the leading toll motorway operator in Portugal and CCR in Brazil.

Toll collection has been suspended from 11am Monday (Aug 18) on most toll facilities in southern Florida because of the advance of a major tropical storm:

Exempt from tolls until further notice are

- Florida's Turnpike from its most southern point at US1 right up to IC86 in Palm Beach County

- all Miami-Dade Expressway Authority tollroads including state routes 836, 874, 112, 929 and 878