The Washington Post reports, “Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced [yesterday afternoon, November 3] that the state has picked a private partner to construct and operate HOT lanes on Interstate 66 outside the Capital Beltway, and for the first time in Northern Virginia, the Transurban company is not part of the deal. The winning group is called I-66 Express Mobility Partners, which consists of the Cintra, Meridiam, Ferrovial and Allan Myers companies. The unsuccessful bidder was Express Partners, formed by the Transurban and Skanska companies.”
The report adds that VDOT Secretary Aubrey Layne “said an important part of the deal is the $800 million in financing that will become available over the next half century to support travel options such as carpooling and commuter buses that allow travelers to leave their cars behind for the trip on I-66. Also included are improvements for bikers and walkers. In addition, Express Mobility Partners is to provide $350 million over the same term to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority in support of other projects to reduce congestion in the I-66 corridor.”
In a statement, Belen Marcos, United States president of Cintra, says, “Our consortium is proud to be bringing our experience delivering state of the art infrastructure projects that connect people to their home, work and communities.”
Transurban tells The Post, “While disappointed with the outcome, Transurban remains committed to its partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation and to travelers in the Commonwealth.”