Tennessee “Choice Lanes” And P3 Bill Won Senate Approval
The Tennessean reported, by a vote of 26 to 5, the Tennessee Senate approved the bill carrying Governor Bill Lee’s $3 billion infrastructure funding plan that provides for managed toll lane” (“choice lane”) construction, public-private financing, alternative project delivery and new electric vehicle fees. “Though some opponents of the plan have criticized the distribution [of funds] by region, arguing the equal pots of money should be distributed on a per capita basis to account for higher populations and related congestion issues, the legislation received largely bipartisan votes through the committee process this year. . . . ” If the House version of the bill, HB 321, advances as expected, final passage could come before the end of this month. (TRN substituted a link.)
CTRMA Issued RFI Regarding Pay-By-Mail Systems
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) issued a request for information addressed to qualified vendors interested in providing feedback, information and materials about best practices, options and trends for video-billed transaction (“Pay By Mail”) systems and services. The RFI is available via CIVCAST. Responses are due by 3:00 PM (Central), April 10, 2023.
EastLink Toll Road Stake Went On Sale In Australia
Bloomberg (via Yahoo! Finance) reported that Horizon Roads, which controls ConnectEast Group, the operator of the EastLink toll road in Melbourne, Australia, “has kicked off” its sale of a stake in the facility that “could be one of the country’s biggest deals this year.” According to a document obtained by Bloomberg, the company is offering as much as 55.45 percent of ConnectEast, which has a concession term expiring in about 20 years. “The seller is seeking to raise about A$2 billion to A$2.5 billion ($1.3 billion to $1.7 billion) in the stake sale, according to a person familiar with the matter. A deal could value the entire toll road business at as much as A$7 billion including debt, the person said. . . . Considerations are at an early stage and details including price and valuation could still change, the person said. . . .”
These are some of the toll industry developments TRN covered last week. If you’re not a subscriber to Daily News Briefs, click here for a free, 14-day trial. Read the news as it happens every weekday.
Florida Started Construction Of New Central Polk Tollway
Florida DOT and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) broke ground Thursday on the $257 million Central Polk Parkway, WFTS reported. The four-lane tolled roadway (SR 570B) will cover about 6.5 miles in the state’s fastest growing county, southwest of Orlando. Construction is scheduled through 2029. “By 2045 nearly 25,000 people are anticipated to use Central Polk Parkway as part of their daily commute,” said John Kubler, FDOT District One interim secretary and director of transportation development. The parkway includes safety features such as wrong-way driver detection at all interchanges. (Additional information about the new tollway can be found on the FTE website.)
Construction Of New Maine Turnpike Exit Began
WMTW reported, “Work is officially underway on a new exit along the Maine Turnpike in Saco. The new Exit 35 will be the first new exit on the highway in more than 20 years. . . . [It] is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025.” WMTW added, “Planning for the project started a couple years ago, and the contract was awarded in December 2022 to Sargent Corporation from Stillwater [Maine]. Crews began clearing the site in February and are currently prepping the site for construction of the southbound toll plaza, including earthwork and wick drain installation.” The project scope includes addition of a collector-distributor road to the turnpike mainline between Exits 35 and 36. (TRN inserted a link.)
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposed Eliminating Turnpike’s E-ZPass Discount Rate
WTAE reported, “A Philadelphia lawmaker introduced House Bill 516, which would eliminate the perk for using an E-ZPass and make [Pennsylvania] turnpike tolls equal for those using E-ZPass and Toll By Plate.” According to the sponsor, the current rate structure “effectively forces my constituents to get an E-ZPass or pay significantly higher rates, even if they only travel our toll roads a few times per year to visit family. Furthermore, the PA Turnpike Commission failed to notify the General Assembly of the plans to implement this surcharge. . . .” An additional motivating factor for introduction of the bill, he said, is the elimination by many states of the E-ZPass discount for out-of-state E-ZPass holders.
Arizona Senate Passed Bill Limiting Tolling Options
KJZZ reported, the Arizona Senate last week passed and sent to the House a bill (SB 1340) that would prohibit a county from authorizing the conversion of any publicly maintained street or highway to a toll road. The measure also prohibits Arizona DOT from entering into any public-private partnership agreement that results in the tolling of an existing publicly funded street or highway. According to the article, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Juan Mendez (D-26), is harshly critical of current US toll road systems.
NTSB Found NTE Mobility Partners’ “Deficiency” Contributed To Texas Mass Collision
The Dallas Morning News reported, according to a final investigative report issued Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners (NTE) failed “to effectively monitor and address icy roadway conditions during a 2021 winter storm,” thus contributing to the the deadly 133-vehicle chain-reaction collision that occurred on the I-35W TEXpress Lanes in Fort Worth in February of that year. The company is a Cintra-led consortium whose concession includes responsibility for maintaining the segment of interstate on which it built the tolled express lanes. NTSB acknowledged that NTE’s pretreatment of the roadway was “‘reasonable and consistent with federal and state guidelines’ in response to initial winter weather warnings,” but it also concluded that the company was “deficient” in subsequently monitoring and responding to deteriorating conditions. NTSB also found that drivers were traveling too fast for conditions and vehicle speed contributed to the severity of collisions. A spokesman stated that NTE ” is ‘disappointed and strongly disagrees with’ certain parts of the report’s conclusion” and explained why the company defends its response to weather conditions at the time of the crashes.
Associated Press noted that the NTSB report includes recommendations for improvement of storm response and maintenance employee training. TxDOT stated that it appreciates NTSB’s work, is “continuously improv[ing] its winter weather operations,” and has started “to carefully review the [report’s] analysis and recommendations.”
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Six Maryland Highway Workers Died In Crash
The Baltimore Sun (subscription required for full access) reported on Wednesday’s two-vehicle collision that led to the deaths of six highway workers in a Baltimore beltway (I-695) work zone. The victims, identified as contractor employees, included a father and son who were working together on “a project to address congestion along I-695 from I-70 to Maryland 43 . . . by converting portions of the existing median shoulder into a travel lane during the morning and evening rush hours.” Brad Sant, an American Road and Transportation Builders Association safety and education executive, commented, “These are just people who are trying to earn a living and they end up dying because of it,” adding that the incident “underscores the vulnerability of construction workers in highway work zones” and “serves as a stark reminder for all transportation system users of the critical need for increased attention to the unique safety hazards associated with these sites.” A Texas A&M Transportation Institute research engineer gives the newspaper his analysis of the crash after reviewing video.
The New York Times also covered the story.
Proposed Port Authority Would Be Empowered To Toll Texas Border Bridge
The Big Bend Sentinel reported, “[T]he city and county of Presidio [Texas] passed a joint resolution expressing support for the creation of an independent port authority at the Presidio International Bridge. The new port authority would be separate from the county and city government and would have the power to charge tolls, which officials hope would generate revenue to spend on further improvements.” The bridge, the only international crossing over which TxDOT has control, “has been operating at partial capacity since 2018, when the ribbon was cut on a project to expand the bridge with an additional two lanes. The construction has since been consistently hamstrung by the governor’s office after becoming, in the words of one local official, ‘a political hammer.’”
Industry People Made News
Texas Governor Greg Abbott made two appointments to the Texas Transportation Commission on Tuesday. Alejandro “Alex” G. Meade, III, an executive vice president of Texas Regional Bank and an economic development specialist, will serve a term that expires on February 1, 2025. He resides in Mission. Steven D. Alvis of Houston is the co-founder and managing partner of NewQuest Properties and the chair of the Texas Facilities Commission. His term will expire on February 1, 2029. Both appointments are subject to senate confirmation. Houston Chronicle reported on Alvis’ nomination.
On Monday, Quarterhill, Inc., the parent company of Electronic Transaction Consultants (ETC) and International Road Dynamics (IRD), announced that Bret Kidd, its president and CEO, resigned his office and board membership, effective immediately. Board chair John Gillberry will serve as interim CEO while a search committee, aided by an executive recruiting firm, works to replace Kidd. Gillberry will not stand for reelection to the board.
The Chronicle reported that Philip Smith resigned as chief executive of TT2, the concessionaire responsible for operation and maintenance of the northeast UK’s Tyne Tunnels, in order to “pursue new opportunities.” TT2’s chief operating officer, Shaun Simmons, is taking on the CEO role while the firm searches for a permanent replacement for Smith.
The Doings (via Chicago Tribune) reported that Alice Gallagher, a member of the Illinois Tollway Authority board since 2019, died unexpectedly Tuesday after suffering a stroke. Ms. Gallagher, an attorney, had a extensive record of public service and was also currently serving as president of Western Springs Village.
Hawaii Bill Creates A Path To Replacing Fuel Taxes With Road Use Charging
KHON reported, in the wake of Hawaii DOT’s road usage charge demonstration project (HiRUC), a bill (HB 1110) is moving through the legislature that could lead to replacing state fuel taxes with mileage-based road use fees. The measure recently received House approval by a wide margin. If passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, it would take effect in 2025, when electric vehicle (EV) owners would have the option to pay use fees assessed at the rate of eight cents per mile and capped at $50 per year, or continue to pay the state’s annual EV registration surcharge of $50. The measure would further require HDOT to prepare a plan for the imposition of mileage-based use fees on all passenger vehicles and light duty trucks by the end of 2033 and submit the plan for legislative approval.
New South Wales Labor Pledged To Disclose Tolling Contracts
Australian Associated Press reported, opposition leaders from the Labor Party have pledged that if they win Saturday’s election, state contracts with private toll concession companies will be made public. The New South Wales government to date has refused to turn over such documents, despite two parliamentary inquiries recommending it. Labor “hopes to uncover hidden terms such as non-compete or compensation clauses” by unveiling contract terms. Labor Leader Chris Minns has also pledged to curb steeply rising toll prices and end further privatization of roads. “We think that toll mania has gripped Sydney in the past four years in particular,” he told reporters.